WCVMEM 


U.  S.  DEPARTMEN  I    I  >l     AGRICUL1  i  ki:. 
BUKKA!  ITOMOLOtn     BULLETIN   No.   B 

I     t  >   I  low   \KD.  I  aiMMfefirfaadCUd 


SOMK  [NSECTS  INJURIOUS  To  TIM TK  CROPS. 


1.  THE  COLORADO  POTATO  BEETLE  IN  VIRGINIA  l\  I! 

By  c.  ii.  POPENOE,  Agent  and  Expert. 

11.  THE  PARSNIP  LEAF-MINER 
THE  PAR8LE1  STALK  WKKUL 
THE  I'KII.K'V  CATERPILLAR. 

By  F.  H.  CHITTENDEN1,  in  Chargt  ofTjuck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insert  Investigation*. 

III.  THE  LIMA-BEAN  POD-BORER. 

THE  fiBLLOW-NEGKED  PLEA  BEETLE. 

By  F.  II.  CHITTENDEN,  in  bhargt  <>/  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  tnvestigaHom. 

IV.  THE  LIFE  HISTORY  AND  CONTROL  OF  THE  HOP  FLEA-BEETLE. 

By  WILLIAM  B.  RARKE E,  Collaborator. 

V.  BIOLOGIC  AND  ECONOMIC  NOTES  ON  THE  YELLOW-BEAR  CATERPILLAR 

By  ll.  o.  MARSH,  Agent  and  Expert. 

VI.  NOTES  ON  THE  CUCUMBER  BEETLES. 

By  F.  II   CHITTENDEN,  iji  Charjt  of  Try  ft  Cropqnd  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 

BIOLOGIC  NOTES  ON  SPECIES  OF  DIARROTICA  IN  SOUTHERN  TEXAS. 

By  H.  »».  MARSH,  Agent  and  Expert. 

VII.  NOTES  ON  VARIOUS  TRUCK-CROP  INSECTS. 

By  F.  II.  CHITTENDEN,  in.  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1912. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMEN  I    I  »l     /\GRI<  ULT!  fRE, 
BURIAU   OF   BNTOMOUMH     BULLETIN    1 

I    O.Hi  >\\  \KI).  I  ...i.,i .,. log! -i  ..,,,1  (  l.i. f  ..f  Bom 


SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 


I.  THE  COLORADO  POTATO  BEETLE  IN  VIRGINIA  IN  1908. 

By  C.  n.  POPENOE,  Agent  and  Expert. 

II.  THE  PARSNIP  LEAF-MINER. 
THE  PARSLEY  STALK  WEEVIL. 
THE  CELERY  CATERPILLAR. 

By  F.  H.  CHITTENDEN,  >»  Chargi  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigation*. 

[II.  THE  LIMA-BEAN  POD-BORER. 

THE  YELLOW-NECKED  FLEA  BEETLE. 

By  P.  II.  CHITTENDEN,  in  Charge  of  True:;  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  I /instigations. 

IV.  THE  LIFE  HISTORY  AND  CONTROL  OF  THE  HOP  FLEA-BEETLE. 

By  WILLIAM  L.  PARKER,  Collaborator. 

I  BIOLOGIC  AND  ECONOMIC  NOTES  ON  THE  YELLOW-BEAR  CATERPILLAR. 

By  IL  O.  MARSH,  Agent  and  Expert. 

VI.  NOTES  ON  THE  CUCUMBER  BEETLES. 

By  F.  II.  CHITTENDEN,  in  Charji  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 

BIOLOGIC  NOTES  ON  SPECIES  OF  DIABROTICA  IN  SOUTHERN  TEXAS. 

By  H.  O.  MARSH,  Agent  and  Expert. 

VII.  NOTES  ON  VARIOUS  TRUCK-CROP  INSECTS. 

By  F.  H.  CHITTENDEN,  in  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1912. 


BUREAU  OF  ENTOMOLOGY. 

L.  0.  Howard,  Entomologist  and  Chief  of  Bureau. 
C.  L.  Marlatt,  Entomologist  and  Acting  Chief  in  Absence  of  Chief. 
R.  S.  Clifton,  Executive  Assistant. 
W.  F.  Tastet,  Chief  Clerk. 

F.  H.  Chittenden,  in  charge  of  truck  crop  and  stored  product  insect  investigations 

A.  D.  Hopkins,  in  charge  of  forest  insect  investigations. 

W.  D.  Hunter,  in  charge  of  southern  field  crop  insect  investigations. 

F.  M.  Webster,  in  charge  of  cereal  and  forage  insect  investigations. 

A.  L.  Quaintance,  in  charge  of  deciduous  fruit  insect  investigations. 

E.  F.  Phillips,  in  charge  of  bee  culture. 

D.  M.  Rogers,  in  charge  of  preventing  spread  of  moths,  field  work. 

Rolla  P.  Currie,  in  charge  of  editorial  work. 

Mabel  Colcord.  in  charge  of  library. 


Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 

F.  H.  Chittenden,  in  charge. 

H.  M.  Russell,  C.  H.  Popenoe,  William  B.  Parker,  H.  O.  Marsh,  M.  M.  High, 

Fred  A.  Johnston,  John  E.  Graf,  entomologial  assistants. 
I.J.  Condit,  collaborator  in  California. 
W.  N.  Ord,  collaborator  in  Oregon. 
Thomas  H.  Jones,  collaborator  in  Porto  Rico. 
Marion  T.  Van  Horn,  Pauline  M.  Johnson,  Anita  M.  Ballinger,  preparators. 

II 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Entomology, 

Washington,  D.  C,  August  29,  1912. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith,  for  publication  as 
Bulletin  No.  82,  seven  papers  dealing  with  certain  insects  injurious 
to  truck  crops.  These  papers,  winch  were  issued  separately  during 
the  years  1909,  1910,  and  1911,  are  as  follows:  The  Colorado  Potato 
Beetle  in  Virginia  in  1908,  by  C.  H.  Popenoe;  The  Parsnip  Leaf- 
Miner,  The  Parsley  Stalk  Weevil,  and  The  Celery  Caterpillar,  by  F.  H. 
Chittenden;  The  Lima-Bean  Pod-Borer  and  The  Yellow-Necked 
Flea-Beetle,  by  F.  H.  Chittenden;  The  Life  History  and  Control  of 
the  Hop  Flea-Beetle,  by  William  B.  Parker;  Biologic  and  Economic 
Notes  on  the  Yellow-Bear  Caterpillar,  by  H.  O.  Marsh;  Notes  on  the 
Cucumber  Beetles,  by  F.  H.  Chittenden,  and  Biologic  Notes  on 
Species  of  Diabrotica  in  Southern  Texas,  by  H.  O.  Marsh;  Notes  on 
Various  Truck-Crop  Insects,  by  F.  H.  Chittenden. 
Respectfully, 

L.  O.  Howard, 
Entomologist  and  Chief  of  Bureau. 
Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 


in 


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in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Florida,  George  A.  Smathers  Libraries  with  support  from  LYRASIS  and  the  Sloan  Foundation 


http://archive.org/details/inseOOunit 


PREFACE. 


The  present  bulletin  bas  been  published  in  parts,  Beven  in  number, 
from  time  to  time  as  completed,  and  relates  to  insects  and  groups  <>| 
insects  of  widely  different  character.  It  is  in  continuation  of  inves- 
tigations on  insects  injurious  to  truck  and  vegetable  crops  begun  in 
1896,  the  results  of  which  have  been  published  in  Bulletins  19,  23,  29, 
33,  and  43  and  various  circulars  of  this  bureau,  and  in  Yearbooks  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture: 

The  initial  paper,  entitled  "The  Colorado  Potato  Beetle  in  Virginia 
in  L908,"  is  a  logical  sequel  to  Circular  No.  87,  which  treats  of  the 
same  insect  in  its  entire  distribution.  It  furnishes  details  of  experi- 
ments made  in  tidewater  Virginia, -and  gives  special  instructions  for 
the  use  of  the  traction-power  sprayer  in  that  region.  It  also  con- 
tains interesting  notes  on  the  life  history  and  habits  of  the  species 
for  the  same  region. 

Part  II  gives  a  considerat  ion  of  three  species  injurious  to  umbellifer- 
ous truck  crops.  The  first  paper  of  this  part,  on  the  parsnip  leaf- 
miner  (Acidia  fratria  Loew),  gives  a  concise  account  of  this  insect 
with  some  original  notes  on  its  biology  and  suggestions  for  its  control. 
The  second  paper,  on  the  parsley  stalk  weevil  (Listronotus  latiusculus 
Boh.),  gives  the  results  of  original  observations  conducted  on  this 
insect  in  the  vicinity  of  the  District  of  Columbia;  indeed,  it  is  the 
first  account  of  this  species  which  has  been  published.  For  the 
cont  rol  of  this  insect ,  which  is  only  a  pest  under  certain  conditions,  the 
abandonment  of  the  culture  of  parsley  is  recommended  for  a  short 
period  until  the  insect  disappears.  The  third  article,  on  the  celery 
caterpillar  (Papilio  polyxenes  Fab.)  makes  no  claim  to  originality,  but 
introduces  the  first  account  with  good  illustrations  of  this  well-known 
insect  which  has  been  published  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Part  III  is  devoted  to  two  insects  injurious  to  beans  and  peas. 

The  first  of  these  insects  is  the  lima-bean  pod-borer  (Etiella  zinck- 

enella  Treit.).     The  account  here  given  is  the  first  record  of  the 

occurrence  of  this  imported  insect  as  a  pest  in  America,  although  we 

have  reports  of  injury  as  far  back  as  1885.     The  second  article,  on 

the  yellow-necked  flea-beetle  (Disonycha  mellicollis  Say),  embodies  all 

the  information,  recently  furnished  by  agents  and  correspondents  of 

the  bureau,  that  has   been  gained  in  regard  to  a  species  which  is 

widely  distributed  from  New  York  to  Texas,   especially  along  the 

Atlantic  coast. 

v 


VI  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS    TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 

Part  IV,  on  the  life  history  and  control  of  the  hop  flea-beetle 
(Psylliodes  punctulata  Melsh.),  a  species  injurious  to  sugar  beet  and 
many  vegetable  crops,  as  well  us  hops,  is  supplementary  to  an  article 
on  the  same  species  published  as  Bulletin  66,  Part  VI.  From  the 
standpoint  of  the  occurrence  of  the  insect  in  British  Columbia,  where 
the  particular  observations  were  made,  the  insect  is  treated  in  detail 
with  special  reference  to  all  of  the  remedies  which  have  been  sug- 
gested, leaving  little  remaining  to  be  learned  about  the  species  at  the 
present  time. 

Part  V  considers  the  yellow-bear  caterpillar  (Diacrisia  virginica 
Fab.)  in  its  occurrence  in  Colorado  during  1909.  Details  of  experi- 
ments with  remedies  are  furnished,  showing  that  arsenicals  were  not 
entirely  satisfactory.  Additional  experiments  should  be  conducted 
when  another  outbreak  of  this  species  occurs. 

The  articles  which  comprise  Part  VI,  namely,  ' "Notes  on  the 
Cucumber  Beetles"  and  "Biologic  Xotes  on  Species  of  Diabrotica 
in  Southern  Texas,"  give  information  in  regard  to  five  hitherto  little 
known  species  of  Diabrotica  injurious  in  southern  Texas,  with  obser- 
vations on  two  common  species — the  striped  cucumber  beetle  and  the 
12-spotted  cucumber  beetle — in  their  occurrence  in  the  same  region. 
The  papers  are  chiefly  devoted  to  data  in  regard  to  injurious  occur- 
rences, food  plants,  feeding  habits,  life  histories,  and  the  second 
includes  experiments  with  remedies,  arsenate  of  lead  in  combination 
with  Bordeaux  mixture  having  furnished  good  results  in  the 
treatment  of  some  of  these  species. 

The  bulletin  is  concluded  by  Part  VII,  entitled  "Xotes  on  Various 
Truck-Crop  Insect^.*'  Under  the  heading.  'On  the  Xatural  Enemies 
of  the  Colorado  Potato  Beetle,"  four  unrecorded  insect  enemies  are 
treated,  a  list  of  wild  bird  enemies  is  referred  to,  the  chipping  spar- 
row is  added  as  a  new  enemy,  and  attention  is  directed  to  the  efficacy 
of  the  guinea  fowl  in  the  destruction  of  the  potato  beetle.  Xotes  on 
the  potato  stalk  weevil  include  a  note  showing  that  Trichobaris 
trinotata  Say  may,  at  least  exceptionally,  pass  the  winter  as  larva 
or  pupa  instead  of  as  beetle.  Mention  is  made  of  three  species  of 
maggots  previously  unrecorded  as  affecting  yams.  The  gregarious 
habit  of  some  common  blister  beetles  is  described  and  mention  is 
made  of  an  effective  method  of  destroying  them,  namely,  by  dis- 
lodging them  from  the  plant-  attacked  into  pails  in  which  kerosene  is 
floating  on  water. 

F.  H.  Chittexdex, 
In  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and 
Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 


CONTENTS." 

Page 

The  Colorado  potato  beetle  in  Virginia  in  1908                          C   II   Popen*  I 

Introduction ' 

Status  of  the  potato  beetle  in  Virginia I 

Life  history  and  habits 2 

[nsect  enemies 3 

Remedies 4 

Conclusion 8 

The  parsnip  leaf-miner  (Acidia fratria  Loew) F.  II.  Chittenden..  U 

Introduction 9 

Early  history 9 

Description 9 

Distribution II 

Biologic  notes 11 

Methods  of  control 12 

The  parsley  stalk  weevil  (Listronotus  latiusculus  Boh.) F.  II.  Chittenden..  14 

Injurious  occurrence 14 

Description 15 

Distribution 16 

Injury  at  Four  Mile  Run,  Va 16 

( )\  i  posit  ion 17 

Food  plants  and  habits 18 

Methods  of  control 19 

The  celery  caterpillar  (Papilio  polyxenes  Fab.) F.  II.  ( Tiittenden. .  20 

Introduction 20 

Description 20 

Distribution 22 

Habits  and  life  history 22 

Natural  enemies 23 

Remedies 23 

Bibliography 23 

The  lima-bean  pod-borer  (Etiella  zinckenella  Treit.) F.  II.  Chittenden. .  25 

Injurious  occurrence 25 

Description  and  distribution 25 

Additional  remarks 27 

The  yellow-necked  flea-beetle  (Disonycha  mellicollis  Say) .  .F.  II.  Chittenden..  29 

Injurious  occurrence 29 

Description  and  distribution 30 

Economic  status 31 

Report  by  H.  O.  Marsh 31 

Methods  of  control 32 

The  life  history  of  the  hop  flea-beetle William  B.  Parker. .  33 

Introduction 33 

Economic  importance 33 

Life  history 34 

The  eggs 34 

The  larva 35 

The  pupa 36 

The  adult 37 

a  The  seven  parts  constituting  this  bulletin  were  issued  in  separate  form  on  July  28,  November  30,  and 
December  28, 1909;  May  20,  August  31,  and  December  8, 1910;  and  February  18, 1911,  respectively. 

VII 


VIII  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS    TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 

The  life  history  of  the  hop  flea-beetle — Continued.  Page. 

Habits 39 

The  larva 39 

The  adult 40 

Seasonal  history 42 

Length  of  life  cycles 42 

Number  and  time  of  appearance  of  broods 43 

Multiplication 43 

Hibernation 43 

Diseases 47 

Fungous  diseases 47 

1  tacterial  diseases 48 

Para- iic-  and  predaceous  enemies 48 

Control  measures 48 

The  tarred  board  or  sticky  shield 48 

Tarred  sledges 49 

Banding  with  tanglefoot 50 

Destruction  of  hibernating  beetles 52 

Bordeaux  mixture 53 

Bordeaux-tobacco  extract 54 

Tobacco  dust 54 

Impractical  measures 54 

Spraying 56 

Traps 57 

Cultivation  and  fertilization 

Recommendations 58 

Biologic  and  economic  notes  on  the  yellow-bear  caterpillar R.  0.  Marsh. .  59 

Recent  injury 59 

Biologic  notes 60 

List  of  plants  injured 62 

Experiments  with  arsenicals 63 

Notes  on  the  cucumber  beetles F.  H.  Chittenden . .  67 

Introductory 67 

The  saddled  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  conneoca  Lee.) 68 

The  painted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  picticornis  Horn) 68 

The  belted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  balteata  Lee.) 69 

The  western  twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  soror  Lee.) 71 

The  western  striped  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  trivittata  Mann.) 75 

Biologic  notes  on  species  of  Diabrotica  in  southern  Texas 77.  0.  Marsh. .  76 

Introduction 76 

Observations  on  Diabrotica  picticornis  Horn 76 

Observations  on  Diabrotica  balteata  Lee 76 

Observations  on  Diabrotica  rittata  Fab 82 

Observations  on  Diabrotica  duodecimpunctata  Oliv 84 

Notes  on  various  truck-crop  insects F.  IT.  Chittenden. .  85 

On  the  natural  enemies  of  the  Colorado  potato  beetle 85 

Some  insect  enemies  of  the  potato  beetle 85 

Some  wild  bird  enemies  of  the  potato  beetle 87 

Guinea  fowls  as  destroyers  of  the  potato  beetle 88 

Notes  on  the  potato  stalk  weevil 88 

Maggots  affecting  yams  in  the  South 90 

Notes  on  the  feeding  habits  of  blister  beetles 91 

Notes  on  bean  and  pea  weevils 92 

Index 95 


ILLUSTR  \  I  IONS. 


PI    \  : 

l'i  \  1 1    I     I  i      i      The  Colorado  potato  beetle  (Leptinotarsa  decemlineata)  at 
tacking  seed  potato  in  ground,  Churchland,  Va      Fig.  2      Noting 

potato  plant  defoliated  bj  Colorado  potato  beetles 2 

II    Potato  ee  gn  '\\  ing  in  ue^  ground,  Bhowing  bar  to  employmenl  of  p 

sprayers 

III.  Hop  leaves,  showing  effecl  of  attack  by  the  hop  flea-beetle  (Psylli- 

odes  punctulata) 12 

l\.  Fig.  I.  Hindoo  using  tarred  board  and  evergreen  brush  to  destroy 
hop  flea-beetles.  Fig.  2.  Method  of  using;  li,rht,  Bticky  shield 
and  feather  duster  in  combating  the  hop  flea-beetle 50 

TKXT   I  IGUR]  s. 

Fie  I.  The  parsnip  leaf-miner  (Addia Jratria  Loew):  Adult,  larva,  puparium, 

details lo 

2.  Parsnip  leaves  showing  work  of  parsnip  leaf-miner 12 

3.  The  parsley  stalk  weevil  (Listronotus  latiusculus  Bon.):  Adult,  larva, 

pupa 15 

4.  Parsley  roots  showing  work  of  parsley  stalk  weevil 17 

5.  The  celery  caterpillar  (Papilio  polyxenes):  Male  butterfly,  egg,  larva, 

chrysalis,  details 21 

6.  The  celery  caterpillar:   Female  butterfly 22 

7.  The  Lima-bean  pod-borer  (Etiella  zinchenella):  Adults,  larva,  details..         26 

8.  The  hop  flea-beetle  (Psylliodes  punctulata):  Eggs :->! 

9.  The  hop  flea-beetle:  Larva,   pupa 36 

10.  The  hop  flea-beetle:  Adult  beetles,  showing  relative  size  of  female 

and  male 37 

11.  The  hop  flea-beetle:  Ovipositor  of  female 37 

12.  Filamentous  roots  of  hop  vine  on  which   the  hop   flea-beetle  larvae 

feed 39 

13.  Hindoo  using  tarred  hand  sledge  for  capture  of  hop  flea-beetles 50 

14.  Banded  hop  vine,  showing  condition  of  leaves  above  and  below  the 

band 51 

15.  Killing  the  hop  flea-beetles  in  the  poles 52 

1G.  Fumigating  the  irollis  poles  to  destroy  hop  flea-beetles 55 

17.  Roiling  the  hopyards  with  heavy  roller  as  an  experiment  in  the  con- 

trol of  the  hop  flea-beetle 56 

18.  The  yellow-bear  caterpillar  (Diacrisia  virginica):  Female  moth,  larvae, 

cocoon,  pupa 00 

19.  The  saddled  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  connexa):  Beetle 

20.  The  painted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  picticornis) :  Beetle (59 

21.  The  belted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  balteata):  Eggs,  larva,  pupa, 

beetle,  details 70 

22.  The  western  twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  soror):  Female 

beetle 73 

23.  The  western  twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle:  Eggs 74 

24.  Euthyrhynchus  floridanus,   an  enemy  of  the  Colorado   potato  beetle: 

Adult.,     .        * 86 

IX 


:-.    I  .  I'..  I     Bul. 83    Put  i. 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRICK  CROP 


THE  COLORADO  POTATO  BEETLE  IN  VIRGINIA  IN   1908. 

By  C.  II.  Pop]  woi  .  .\</<  nt  and  Exjn  '. 

[In cooperation  with  the  Virginia  Truck  Experiment  Station.] 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  tidewater  region  of  Virginia,  which  comprises  Norfolk,  Prin< 
Anne.  Nansemond,  and  [sle  of  Wight  counties  on  the  western  and 
southern,  and  Northampton  and  Accomac  counties  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  is  probably  the  greatest  center  for  the 
production  of  early  potatoes  in  the  eastern  United  States.  The 
value  of  the  potato  crop  shipped  from  these  counties  approaches 
86, 000, 000  annually.  Two  crops  are  raised  over  a  small  portion  of 
this  area,  while  over  the  greater  part,  including  the  counties  of  Nor- 
folk and  Princess  Anne,  only  a  single  planting  is  made,  the  potatoes 
being  planted  during  the  latter  part  of  February  and  the  first  of 
March,  and  the  crop  of  new  potatoes  being  harvested  in  June.  As 
this  crop  is  not  carried  through  to  maturity,  new  potatoes  being  the 
desired  product,  the  action  of  the  late  blight  is  not  apparent  until  the 
crop  is  ready  to  harvest  and  is,  therefore,  given  little  consideration  as 
a  pest.  As  the  early  blight  does  little  injury  to  the  plants,  the 
Colorado  potato  beetle  (Leptinotarsa  decemlineata  Say)  becomes  the 
worst  drawback  to  the  culture  of  the  potato  in  this  locality.  The 
long  growing  season  and  the  inefficient  methods  employed  for  the 
control  of  this  insect  pest  afford  it  an  unusual  opportunity  for  injury 
over  a  wide  area.  In  only  a  few  cases  are  effective  methods  of 
application  practiced,  and  for  this  reason  demonstration  and  experi- 
mental work  have  been  thought  advisable4  for  the  locality. 

STATUS  OF  THE  POTATO  BEETLE  IN  VIRGINIA. 

Owing  to  the  employment  of  negro  labor  and  the  scarcity  of  capable 
white  help  the  methods  for  the  control  of  the  potato  beetle  over  this 
area  are  necessarily  crude.  While  the  insects  are  in  hibernation  no 
effort  is  made  for  their  destruction,  the  first  attempt  to  control  the 
species  being  the  hand  picking  of  hibernated  beetles  from  the  vines 

1 


2  SOME    INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

by  negro  children.  Afterwards  the  vines  are  dusted  with  land 
plaster  and  Paris  green,  applied  by  shaking  a  burlap  sack,  filled  with 
the  mixture,  over  the  plants  which  seem  to  be  the  worst  affected. 
As  a  result  of  the  imperfect  application  of  the  arsenical  the  crop  is 
only  partially  freed  from  the  insects  and,  as  the  application  is  never 
made  until  the  injury  of  the  first  generation  or  brood  of  larvae  becomes 
very  apparent,  the  vines  are  not  entirely  free  from  the  injurious 
effects  of  untimely  defoliation.  In  many  places,  also,  the  plants  are 
seriously  checked  through  the  injury  caused  by  the  beetles,  which 
entirely  defoliate  the  young  shoots  as  they  are  coming  through  the 
earth,  in  many  cases  eating  them  off  level  with  the  ground  or  below 
the  surface.  Seed  potatoes  which  remain  partially  above  ground  are 
also  rapidly  devoured  by  the  beetles. 

After  the  larvae  or  young  commence  to  appear,  the  plants  showing 
the  greatest  injury  are  treated  with  the  dust,  this  application  usually 
being  held  sufficient  for  some  time.  The  land-plaster  application  is 
from  three  to  four  times  as  expensive  as  a  Paris-green  spray  of  equal 
strength,  and  in  several  cases  in  the  Norfolk  region  the  application  of 
the  unnecessary  plaster  to  the  already  acid  soil  has  produced  a  state 
of  disease  in  the  cabbage  crop  following  the  potatoes  which  has 
lessened  the  production  to  a  considerable  degree.  In  the  case  of  a 
spray  this  acidity  is  not  imparted  to  the  soil  and  injury  to  cabbage  is 
thus  avoided. 

In  that  part  of  Virginia  immediately  adjacent  to  the  District  of 
Columbia  the  growing  of  potatoes  is  less  important  commercially 
than  in  the  Norfolk  region,  and  while  the  beetle  is  a  serious  pest 
always,  the  smaller  acreage  of  potatoes  grown  renders  the  control  of 
the  insect  much  more  easily  accomplished. 

LIFE  HISTORY  AND  HABITS. 

In  general,  the  life  history  of  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  in  Vir- 
ginia agrees  with  the  description  already  published  by  Doctor  Chit- 
tenden.0 In  specimens  reared  in  confinement  in  the  insectary  at 
Washington  and  in  outdoor  cages  at  Norfolk  in  1908,  three  genera- 
tions or  broods  were  reared  during  the  summer,  and  very  young  larva3 
have  been  seen  on  tomato  at  Norfolk  as  late  as  the  latter  part  of 
August  and  the  1st  of  September.  The  period  of  aestivation  which 
generally  follows  the  second  generation  in  this  species  was  shortened 
to  four  days  in  the  beetles  which  were  carried  through  the  stages  at 
Norfolk.  These  beetles  issued  from  eggs  collected  from  the  first 
generation  May  26.  The  larvae  pupated  June  20  and  issued  as  adults 
June  28.  After  feeding  until  July  3  the  beetles  burrowed  into  the 
soil,  forming  cells,  where  they  remained  for  a  period  of  four  days, 

a  Cir.  No.  87,  Bur.  Ent.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  1907. 


Bui.  82,  Pt.  I.  Bureau  of  Entomology    U 


P 


Fig.  1.— The  Colorado  Potato  Beetle  <  Leptinotarsa  decemlineata)  Attacking  Seed 
Potato  in  Ground,  Churchland,  Va.    (Original.) 


Fig.  2.— Young  Potato  Plant  Defoliated  by  Colorado  Potato  Beetles. 
Twenty  beetles  sometimes  on  plants  this  size.    Nearly  natural  size.     (Original.) 


Ill  i     COLOB  \l"  l    POTATO    BEE  III     in    \  IROl  N  I  \.  .5 

coming  after  this  time  to  the  surface,  where  the  third  generation  of 
eggs  \\;i^  deposited  three  <l;i\s  later.  Owing  t<>  b  scarcity  <>f  proper 
food  nt  this  time  this  third  generation  was  no1  well  cared  for,  and  as 
onl\  three  mutilated  specimens  reached  maturity  the  experiment 
was  closed.  This  record,  however,  verified  the  existence  of  a  third 
generation,  concerning  which  there  has  been  some  doubt. 

The  beetles  issue  from  hibernation  in  the  soil,  where  the)  pass  i  he 
winter  in  the  adult  stage,  some  time  during  the  first  two  weeks  of 
April,  as  the  earliest  potato  plants  begin  to  appear  above  the  soil, 
and  begin  to  feed  upon  these  young  shoots  before  producing  i 
which,  however,  are  soon  deposited.  In  many  cases  from  six  to 
twelve  beetles  may  be  seen  on  a  single  plant,  which  is  likely  to  be 
completely  defoliated  if  not  entirely  destroyed.  As  many  as  20 
beetles  are  sometimes  seen  on  a  single  shoot,  and  where  they  occur 
in  such  numbers  the  plant  is  very  apt  to  be  eaten  off  close  to  the 
ground  if,  indeed,  the  beetles  do  not  follow  the  stem  into  the  earth. 
It  is  at  this  time  that  the  attack  of  the  adults  is  most  severe  and  the 
plant  is  greatly  weakened  by  such  injury.     (See  PL  I.) 

After  the  plants  reach  a  considerable  size  the  damage  done  by  the 
larvae  becomes  most  apparent,  large  plants  being  defoliated.  At 
this  time  the  poison  is  usually  applied  to  the  plants  showing  the 
greatest  injury  and  a  majority  of  the  larvae  arc  destroyed. 

The  beetles  which  pass  through  the  winter  are  usually  those  of  the 
third  generation.  These  seem  to  do  very  little  injury  to  the  second 
crop  of  potatoes,  which  is  generally  quite  free  from  damage  and 
rarely  needs  treatment  for  insect  attack.  It  would  thus  appear  that 
the  beetles  coming  from  this  generation  hibernate  after  the  first  crop 
with  but  few  exceptions  and  remain  in  hibernation  until  the  following 
year.  A  few  of  the  beetles  may  be  seen  occasionally  upon  second- 
crop  and  volunteer  potatoes,  but  no  eggs  are  deposited,  the  entire 
injury  being  accomplished  by  the  adults.  Unquestionably  many  of 
Jhese  perish  during  the  long  period  of  hibernation  and,  on  warm 
spring  days  with  an  offshore  wind,  great  numbers  of  the  hibernated 
individuals  are  blown  or  carried  out  to  sea,  where  they  perish,  the 
beach  after  such  a  time  being  frequently  covered  with  windrows  of 
the  dead  beetles.0  Notwithstanding  these  facts,  a  sufficient  number 
survives  to  make  the  insect  the  pest  that  it  is,  although  the  dest  ruct  ion 
in  this  manner  must  serve  as  a  temporary  check  to  the  increase 
of  the  species. 

INSECT  ENEMIES. 

The  insect  enemies  of  the  potato  beetle  were  very  little  in  evidence 
in  tidewater  Virginia  during  the  season  of  1908.  Podisus  maculi- 
ventris  Say  was  noted   and  the  usual  tachinid  parasitization  was 

a  This  statement  is  substantiated  by  similar  observations  by  Br.  A.  D.  Hopkins 
and  Mr.  E.  A.  Schwarz,  of  the  Bureau  of  Entomology. 


4  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

present,  but  at  a  very  low  figure,  eggs  being  seen  on  only  3  to  4  per 
cent  of  the  larvae.  Harpaline  ground-beetles  were  abundant  and 
Lebia  grandis  Hentz  was  undoubtedly  a  factor  in  keeping  down  the 
great  increase  of  the  potato  beetle. 

REMEDIES. 

With  regard  to  remedies,  a  considerable  number  of  experiments 
was  performed  with  a  view  to  discovering  the  cheapest  and  most 
effective  insecticide  for  controlling  the  potato  beetle.  Several  plats, 
consisting  of  one-tenth  of  an  acre  each,  were  prepared  for  testing  the 
effects  of  the  poisons  on  the  plants  and  on  the  larvae.  An  insight 
into  the  methods  of  research  by  which  the  results  were  obtained  may 
be  of  value  to  the  investigator,  and  a  somewhat  detailed  account  of 
the  experiments  with  insecticides  is  given. 

EXPERIMENTS    WITH    INSECTICIDES. 

A  plat  of  about  1J  acres  was  selected  early  in  the  season  and  planted 
to  potatoes,  a  single  variety  being  used.  The  plat  was  divided  into 
rows  of  such  a  length  as  to  contain  one-fortieth  of  an  acre,  four  of  these 
rows  constituting  a  test  plat  of  one-tenth  of  an  acre.  The  plat  was 
allowed  to  become  thoroughly  infested  by  beetles  and  larvre  in  several 
stages.  The  various  plats  were  then  numbered  and  treated  with  the 
different  insecticides.  The  fertilizer  treatment  was  the  same  in  all 
cases,  and  as  the  ground  on  which  the  potatoes  were  planted  was 
new,  the  yield  could  not  have  been  affected  by  a  residue  of  fertilizer 
remaining  in  the  soil  from  the  previous  year.  The  poisons  were 
applied  with  a  knapsack  sprayer. 

Experiment  No.  1 . — One-half  pound  white  arsenic  and  2  pounds  sal 
soda  were  boiled  together  in  one-half  gallon  of  water  until  dissolved. 
The  mixture  was  used  in  the  proportion  of  1  pound  of  arsenic  to  50 
gallons  of  water,  with  the  addition  of  6  pounds  of  lime  per  50  gallons 
of  solution,  and  was  applied  about  10  a.  m. 

Twenty-four  hours  after  spraying,  the  plat  was  examined  and  no 
living  beetles  or  larvse  could  be  found.  At  this  time  no  damage  to  the 
foliage  was  apparent  as  a  result  of  the  arsenic,  but  two  days  later  the 
potatoes  showed  extensive  burning  and  scalding.  The  foliage  was 
almost  entirely  killed  by  this  application,  and  some  time  was  required 
for  the  plants'  recovery. 

Arsenic  in  this  form  is  a  very  cheap  insecticide  but,  on  account  of 
its  effect  on  the  plants,  could  not  be  used,  although  extremely 
effective  in  destroying  the  leaf-feeding  insects. 

Experiment  No.  2. — Commercial  arsenate  of  lead  was  applied  with 
Bordeaux  mixture.  Five  pounds  arsenate  of  lead  paste  with  4  pounds 
of  copper  sulphate  and  6  pounds  fresh  lime  were  used  in  50  gallons  of 
water.  The  day  was  bright  and  clear  with  a  southwest  wind  and  a 
temperature  of  85°  F. 


THE   (  OLOB  \i'"    POTATO    BE]  m.    I  N    \  n;oi.\  i.\. 

Ebtamination  the  following  daj  showed  no  living  larvae  present  on 
the  vines.     A  small  number  of  dead  larva  still  clung  to  the  stems  in 
some  places.     N<>  injury  to  the  foliage  was  seen  nor  did  any  aftero  ard 
appear. 

Experiment  No,  S.  Arsenate  of  lend  was  applied  at  the  rate  of  6 
pounds  to  50  gallons  of  water.  The  daj  was  bright,  with  a  tempera- 
ture of  87°  F.  and  a  southwest  breeze. 

An  application  of  this  strength  resulted  in  destroying  85  to  90  per 
cent  of  the  larvae  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  all  of  the  larvae  in  forty- 
eight  hours.  No  injury  as  a  result  of  the  poison  was  seen  at  this  time 
or  later. 

I'.ij>(  rii/K  ni  No.  4- — For  this  plat ,  Paris  green  without  lime  was  used 
at  the  raic  of  I  pounds  to  50  gallons  of  water.  The  weather  was  as 
in  Experiment  No.  3. 

Twenty-four  hours  later  the  mortality  of  the  larva?  had  reached  80 
to  85  per  cent.  The  remainder  of  the  larvae  wrere  in  a  dying  condition 
and  no  damage  to  the  vines  was  noted  at  this  time  as  a  result  of  the 
arsenic.  By  the  next  day,  however,  some  traces  of  burning  were  to 
be  seen  although  not  of  a  serious  nature.  The  larvae  were  by  this 
time  thoroughly  exterminated  on  the  plat. 

Experiment  No.  5. — This  plat  wTas  sprayed  with  a  Paris-green  mix- 
ture, consisting  of  3  pounds  of  Paris  green  writh  Bordeaux  mixture, 
composed  of  4  pounds  copper  sulphate,  6  pounds  of  lime,  and  50  gal- 
lons of  w^ater.  The  day  wras  bright,  with  a  temperature  of  85°  F.  The 
mixture  wras  applied  thoroughly  and  remained  on  the  leaves  well. 

An  examination  of  the  plants  forty-eighty  hours  after  treatment 
showed  no  injury  to  the  leaves  of  the  potatoes,  while  the  larvae  had 
succumbed  to  the  poison,  the  vines  being  completely  cleared. 

Experiment  No.  6. — This  plat  was  treated  with  a  mixture  of  Paris 
green  and  land  plaster  at  the  rate  of  1  pound  of  Paris  green  to  50 
pounds  of  plaster,  the  mixture  being  put  in  a  coarse  burlap  bag  and 
sifted  over  the  plants  by  a  negro  laborer  in  the  usual  plantation 
manner,  the  amount  of  dust  used  being  at  the  rate  of  320  pounds  per 
acre.  The  wind  prevailing  at  the  time  carried  a  large  part  of  the  dust 
from  the  plat  as  it  w^as  applied,  but  the  portion  remaining  was  suffi- 
cient to  thoroughly  destroy  the  larvae  by  forty-eight  hours  afterwards. 

This  mixture  killed  90  per  cent  of  the  larvae  during  the  first  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  is  very  effective  in  controlling  the  potato  beetle. 

Experiment  No.  7 . — To  this  plat  Paris  green  powder  was  applied, 
mixed  with  lime  at  the  rate  of  1  pound  Paris  green  to  10  pounds 
sifted  air-slaked  lime.  The  mixture  was  applied  with  a  powder 
bellows  early  in  the  morning  and  the  application  was  at  the  rate  of  30 
pounds  per  acre. 

Twenty-four  hours  later  all  of  the  larvae  had  been  destroyed. 
Extermination  was  complete,  with  no  injury  to  the  foliage.  This 
mixture  seems  superior  to  the  plaster  mixture  used  in  experiment 


b  SOME    INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 

No.  6.  The  application  was  much  more  thorough,  although  barely  10 
per  cent  of  the  amount  of  mixture  used  in  the  previous  experiment 
was  applied.  This  would  greatly  lessen  the  quantity  of  the  acid- 
producing  material,  the  use  of  lime  as  a  base  for  the  powdered  arsenic 
tending  to  correct  any  acidity  in  the  soil  instead  of  increasing  the  acid 
content.  Moreover,  the  cost  of  this  application  is  much  less,  as  it 
can  he  applied  at  a  cost  of  about  SI  .20  per  acre,  while  the  cost  of  the 
usual  mixture  i>  about  S4.20  per  acre.  The  efficiency  of  the  mixtures 
is  about  equal  in  either  case. 

Experiment  No.  8. — In  this  plat  arsenite  of  copper  was  applied  at 
the  rate  of  4  pounds  to  50  gallons  of  water.  The  poison  was  applied 
without  lime.  The  weather  was  bright  and  warm  with  a  northeast 
wind. 

This  poison  proved  equally  effective  with  Paris  green  used  in  the 
same  quantity  but  differed  in  that  no  damage  to  the  foliage  was  noted 
as  a  result  of  the  application.     The  larva?  were  entirely  destroyed. 

Experiment  No.  9. — Arsenite  of  copper,  4  pounds,  to  6  pounds  of 
lime  in  solution  with  50  gallons  of  water  was  sprayed  on  this  plat. 
This  application  was  quite  effective  and  at  no  time  produced  burning 
of  foliage  as  an  after-effect  of  the  arsenic. 

The  check  plat  was  severely  defoliated  by  the  beetles  and  larvae 
and  was  undoubtedly  injured  by  the  neglect  of  spraying.  The  yield 
of  potatoes  from  this  plat  was  considerably  ,less  than  that  of  the 
properly  sprayed  plats. 

SUMMARY    OF    EXPERIMENTS. 

The  following  table  will  show  the  results  of  experiments  with  vari- 
ous insecticides: 


_  - 


Date. 


Insecticide  used.  Effect  on  plant. 


May   23     Arsenite  of  lime Badly  burned. . 


May  27     Arsenate  of  lead  with     None.. 

Bordeaux  mixture. 
May   2ii     Arsenate  of  lead do. 


Effect  on  insect. 


Remarks. 


Entirely  destroyed  in 
24  hours. 


Entirely  destroyed  in 

48  hours. 
All  killed  in  48  hours.. 


May    2>i     Paris    green    without  Slight  burning .'  Very  effective. 

lime. 
May   27     Paris  green  with  Bor- do do. 

deaux  mixture. 


May   26     Paris  green  dust  with  do do 

land  plaster. 

Paris  green  dust  with  do '  98  per  cent  destroyed. 

lime. 


May  27 
June  17 
June  14 

May  26 


Arsenite  of  copper. 


Arsenite  of  copper  with 
lime. 


None Check. 


Very  effective. 
....do 


Check. 


Damage  to  plants  too 
great  to  permit  its 
use,  although  cheap- 
est preparation  of 
those  employed. 

Excellent  yie"ld  from 
plat  so  treated. 

Applied  at  rate  of  6 
pounds  to  50  gallons 
water. 

4  pounds  to  50  gallons 
water. 

3  pounds  Paris  green  to 
4-6-50  Bordeaux 
mixture. 

4  pounds  Paris  green  to 
ton  land  plaster. 

1  pound  Paris  preen  to 
10  pounds  air-slaked 
lime. 

4  pounds  arsenite  of 
copper  to  50  ganons 
water  without  lime. 

4  pounds  arsenite  of 
copper  with  6  pounds 
lime  to  50  gallons 
water. 

Beetles  very  injurious 
June  14. 


Bui.  82,  Pt.  I,  B  imology,  u  s  D-p?  of  /* 


Plate  II. 


I  ll  I     COLORADO    POTATO    BEETL1     [N    VIRGINIA.  7 

III  i      i  i;  \t   I  i<  »\     Pi  >\\  EH    BPB  1YEH    IN     I      I 

On  several  occasions  a  large  traction  power  sprayer,  working  ;it  a 
pressure  of  from  90  to  1 50  pounds,  was  used,  operating  on  5  or  6  rows 
at  a  time.  The  application  with  this  machine  \\;i>  verj  effective, 
the  plants  being  thoroughly  sprayed  above  and  from  below,  and 
were  thus  completely  covered  with  the  mixture.  Willi  from  2  to  1 
pounds  of  Paris  green  t»>  50  gallons  of  water  this  machine  did  very 
effective  work  in  tin1  control  of  the  lana-  in  large  plats  of  from  30  to 
50  acres. 

This  machine  was  used  for  demonstration,  as  the  small  spraj 

employed   in  the  locality   arc  usually  of  such   a   type  as  to  apply  the 

Insecticide  at  a  very  low   pressure^  in  fact,  doing  little  better  than 

merely  sprinkling  the  upper  surface  of  the  vine-.       It    i-  hoped   that 

the  t nickers  will  take  advantage  of  this  practical  demonstration  to 
the  extent  of  purchasing  similar  high-grade  machines  for  doing  this 

work.  The  work  done  by  the  tract  ion  dust  distributors  is  of  value, 
but  on  account  of  the  higher  cost  of  the  insecticide  applied  in  the  form 
of  dust  it  is  desirable  that  sprayers  should  replace  the  dusters,  even 
without  considering  damage  to  later  crops  resulting  from  the  use  of 
land  plaster.  If  lime  should  replace  the  plaster  in  this  mixture,  at 
least  for  a  time,  the  resultant  acidity  of  the  soil  would  be  counter- 
acted and  more  favorable  soil  conditions  would  follow,  thus  preventing 
fertilizer  injury  from  this  source. 

The  amount  of  lime  distributed  by  a  properly  combined  spray  of 
Bordeaux  mixture  or  of  Paris  green  with  lime  is  a  negligible  quantity 
in  any  case,  while  a  decidedly  beneficial  effect  is  noted  as  a  result  of 
Bordeaux  mixture  applications,  the  yield  being  increased  by  from  40 
to  50  bushels  per  acre  in  several  experiments  conducted  by  the  Xew 
York  (Geneva)  station."  Paris  green  is  admitted  to  possess  about 
one-fourth  the  fungicidal  value  of  Bordeaux  mixture,  but  applied 
alone  is  quite  likely  to  injure  the  vines,  while  Bordeaux  mixture  seems 
to  prevent  injury  by  any  arsenical  applied  with  it,  even  in  the  case 
of  white  arsenic-sal  soda  mixture.  It  has  also  been  noted  that  the 
potato  beetles  dislike  plants  sprayed  with  Bordeaux  mixture  and 
when  ready  to  oviposit  leave  such  plants  for  those  which  have  not 
been  so  treated.  Both  Paris  green  and  arsenate  of  lead  have  yielded 
very  satisfactory  results  as  applications  for  killing  beetles  already  on 
the  plants,  while  the  Bordeaux  mixture  acts  as  a  repellent.  The  cost 
of  material  and  expense  of  application  for  a  Paris  green  or  arsenate 
of  lead  spray,  with  Bordeaux  mixture,  is  about  95  cents  per  acre, 
while  the  application  of  Paris  green  and  land  plaster  by  plantation 
methods  costs  nearly  $4.20  per  acre.  The  value  of  the  copper  unit, 
one  of  the  active  constituents  of  Bordeaux  mixture,  as  a  fungicide 

«  Bull.  290,  Nevz  York  (Geneva)  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.,  1907. 
66513°— Bull.  82—12 2 


8  SOME   INSECTS    rNJUBIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

develops  in  the  spraying  solution  but  is  not  freed  in  the  dust  applica- 
tion, and,  again,  the  dust  does  not  adhere  to  the  leaves  as  well  as 
does  a  liquid  application.  If  arsenate  of  lead  is  the  insecticide 
chosen,  its  adhesive  qualities  increase  its  value  since  it  adheres  much 
longer  to  the  foliage  in  wet  weather  than  has  any  other  mixture  yet 
tested,  thus  making  frequent  applications  unnecessary. 

In  the  case  of  newly  cleared  land,  which  is  frequently  planted  in 
potatoes  as  the  first  crop,  it  may  be  necessary  to  use  a  hand  sprayer, 
or  even  a  dusting  bag,  as  the  presence  of  tree  stumps  (PL  II)  seriously 
interferes  with  the  effective  use  of  power  sprayers,  but  where  possible  it 
is  desirable  to  make  use  of  large  machines  for  spraying,  thus  lessening 
the  cost  of  application  and  increasing  to  a  greater  degree  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  remedial  measures.  The  cost  of  a  good  power  sprayer, 
properly  equipped  for  effective  work  on  potatoes,  varies  from  $75  to 
$125,  which  amount  would  easily  be  saved  in  the  space  of  one  season 
by  the  increased  yield  in  the  potatoes  treated,  where  a  sufficient 
number  of  potatoes  is  grown  to  justify  the  employment  of  a  power 
sprayer.  As  experiments  have  shown  that  treatment  at  least  three 
times  during  the  growth  of  the  vines  is  well  repaid  by  the  increase  in 
yield,  a  means  of  covering  the  planted  areas  rapidly  and  effectively 
is  highly  desirable,  and  the  larger  spray  outfits  are  well  adapted  to 
this  work. 

CONCLUSION. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  suggested  that  at  least  three  thorough  applica- 
tions of  Paris  green,  or  arsenate  of  lead,  with  Bordeaux  mixture  be 
made,  the  first  applied  about  the  time  that  the  first  eggs  begin  to 
hatch  and  the  later  applications  at  intervals  of  about  three  weeks. 
By  this  method  the  beetles  should  be  easily  controlled  and  the  injury 
therefrom  almost  entirely  obviated. 


r.  s.  i>    v  .  11.  B.  Bui.  82,  i';irt  II.  tamed  Novemb  i 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRICK  CROPS. 


THE  PARSNIP  LEAF-MINER. 
icidiafratria  Loe^ 

By  F.  II.  < Shutendbn,  Sc.  I). 
In  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigation*. 

INTRODUCTION. 

Sineo  tho  year  1903  this  species,  hitherto  considered  rare,  has 
made  its  appearance  nearly  every  year  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
in  such  considerable  numbers  that  by  July  beds  of  parsnip  are  found 
so  extensively  infested  by  the  maggot  or  larva  that  at  least  25  per 
cent  of  the  leaves  are  sometimes  destroyed.  The  leaves  show  mines 
of  varying  sizes,  from  that  of  a  dime  to  others  covering  the  greater 
portion  of  a  leaf.  In  1906  and  1907  the  species  could  not  be  found 
in  the  District  of  Columbia,  but  it  returned  in  1908.  A  more  com- 
plete account  than  has  hitherto  been  available  of  the  insect  is  here- 
with presented. 

EARLY  HISTORY. 

Our  first  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  this  species  as  an  enemy 
to  crop  plants  was  published  in  1895  in  a  short  illustrated  note  by 
Mr.  D.  W.  Coquillett.0  At  that  time  it  was  recorded  as  having 
attacked  parsnip  leaves  at  Cadet,  Mo.,  in  June,  1891.  The  leaves 
had  been  quite  extensively  mined,  and  three  adults  were  reared  June 
23,  proving  to  be  Try p eta  fr atria,  as  it  was  then  known. 

In  1899,  Mr.  R.  W.  Doane  published  a  note  on  this  species/ 
recording  its  rearing  from  Heracleum  from  Almota,  Wash.,  and  its 
occurrence  at  Pullman,  Wash.  He  considered  Thomson's  liogaster 
the  same  species,  and  stated  also  that  our  species  may  be  identical 
with  the  European  Acidia  (Trypeta)  heraclei  L.,  or  celery  leaf -miner, 
said  to  be  a  destructive  enemy  of  celery  in  England. 

DESCRIPTION. 

Hie  fly. — The  mature  fly  in  life  is  a  beautiful  object.  Its  body  is 
pale  yellow,  as  are  also  the  legs;  the  abdomen  is  pale  green,  and  the 
wings  are  beautifully  ornamented  with  yellow  alternating  with 
white,  forming  the  pattern  shown  in  figure  1,  a.  Near  the  middle  of 
the  anterior  margin  of  the  wings  there  is  a  dusky,  nearly  black  spot, 

o  Insect  Life,  Vol.  VII,  p.  383. 

&  Journ.  New  York  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  VII,  p.  178. 


10 


SOME   INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 


while  in  the  corresponding  position  on  the  posterior  margin  there  is 
a  paler  dusky  spot  two  or  three  times  as  large.  The  head  is  yellow, 
and  the  eyes  large  and  brilliant  green  with  bluish  reflections.  The 
ovipositor  varies  from  yellow  to  black.  None  of  these  colors  is  so 
bright  in  preserved  specimens.  The  length  of  the  body  is  about 
three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  (5  mm.),  and  the  wing  expanse  is  seven- 
sixteenths  of   an  inch  (11  mm.). 

The  larva,  or  maggot  (fig.  1,  b). — The  larva,  or  maggot,  is  of  the  usual 
form  of  the  Trypetidse,  measuring  about  five  times  as  long  as  wide. 
It  is  nearly  transparent,  except  in  the  interior  portions,  where  it  is 
yellowish.  The  contents  of  the  abdominal  cavity  appear  greenish 
through  the  skin.  The  length  of  the  body  is  7  mm.  and  the  width 
1 .4  mm.     The  anal  segment  of  the  larva  as  seen  from  the  extreme  end 

is  illustrated  at  fig- 
ure 1,  c. 

The  puparium. — 
The  larva  when  full 
grown  contracts  and 
hardens,  forming  a 
coarctate  pupa  or 
puparium  (fig.  1,  d), 
serving  the  purpose 
of  a  cocoon  in  inclos- 
ing the  true  pupa. 
In  the  present  spe- 
cies, as  with  others 
of  this  group  which 
have  been  studied, 
the  form  is  oval  in 
outline,  imperfectly 
cylindrical,  and  ta- 
pering almost  equally  at  both  ends.0  The  lower  surface  is  somewhat 
flattened  and  attached  to  the  leaf  by  a  viscid  secretion.  The  length  is 
twice  the  width  and  the  color  pale  green  when  first  formed,  changing  to 
straw  color  with  greater  age.  The  body  is  composed  of  11  strongly 
marked  segments.  The  mouth-parts  are  retracted  within  the  pupal 
skin,  and  the  cephalic  or  thoracic  appendages  (spiracles  or  trachea?)  are 
well  indicated,  forming  two  arcs,  together  equivalent  to  about  two- 
thirds  of  a  circle  (fig.  1,  e).  The  spiracles  are  very  minute  and 
difficult  to  count,  but  there  are  evidently  between  21  and  24  on  each 
side  (fig.  1,  g),  the  probabilities  being  that  there  is  no  constancy  as 
regards  the  number.     The  length  is  4.5  mm.  and  the  width  2.25  mm. 

a  The  writer  fails  to  see  how  the  Trypetid  pupa  can  be  described  as  " barrel-shaped," 
as  is  done  by  many  writers. 


Fig.  1.  The  parsnip  leaf-miner  (Acidiafratria):  a,  Fly;  o,  larva,  lateral 
view;  c,  anal  segments  of  same;  d,  puparium;  e,  cephalic  extremity; 
/,  anal  extremity;  g,  row  of  cephalic  spiracles;  h,  anal  spiracles.  a,b,d, 
Much  enlarged,  remainder  more  enlarged.  (After  Coquillett,  except 
b,  c,  original.) 


CHE  PARSNIP  LEA]  MINER.  11 

The  anal  extremity  is  illustrated  at  /',  figure  L,  and  the  anal  spiracle 

at  It. 

As  long  ago  as  1873  Osten  Sacken  assigned  this  speci< 
Acidia,  but   it   has  been  generally   Known  as    Trypeta  fratria.    The 

follow  ing  short  technical  description  Is  quoted  from  Osten  Sacken :" 

Clay-yellow,  Btature  short  and  somewhat  broad,  with  four  bristles  on  the 
tellum;  wings  with  yellowish-brown  rivulets,  which  enclose  an  oval,  hyaline 
before  the  end  of  the  discal  cell;  the  end  of  the  fourth  longitudinal  vein  is  Qol  curved 

forwards. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

The  localities  recorded  for  Acidia  fratria  are  comparatively  few, 
considering  the  fact  that  the  species  is  not  really  rare.     Osten  Sacken 

gave  "Atlantic  States."  Thomson  found  it  in  California,  and  others 
have  recorded  its  occurrence  in  Missouri,  Washington,  and  New  Jersey. 
To  this  must  l>e  added  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  above  evi- 
dently  indicates   a    moderately  wide   distribution,  especially,  if  the 

species  should  prove  to  be  the  same  as  heraclei  L.,  common  to  both 
com  incuts.  At  least  it  extends  across  the  continent  from  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

BIOLOGIC  NOTES. 

While  new  data  have  been  obtained,  the  life  history  is  still  incom- 
plete. The  fly  has  not  been  observed  depositing  its  eggs,  and  the 
egg  and  method  of  oviposition  therefore  remain  unknown.  The  fact 
that  the  mines  always  extend  to  the  margin  of  the  leaf  affords  an  indi- 
cation that  the  eggs  are  deposited  at  least  near  the  margin,  and  the 
fact  that  the  larvae  when  full  grown  have  usually  worked  down  into 
the  end  of  the  leaf  nearest  the  leaf -stalk  (see  fig.  2,  a)  shows  that  the 
eg^  is  probably  deposited  in  most  cases  near  the  other  end  or  apex  of 
the  leaf. 

The  larva?  under  observation  in  1903  began  to  attain  maturity  July 
19,  the  adults  issuing  in  August.  Material  under  observation  in  1908 
transformed  to  pupae  May  22  and  the  first  adults  issued  June  6,  the 
pupal  period  having  been  passed  in  fourteen  days. 

While  these  insects  usually  form  pup  aria  in  the  old  larval  mines,  in 
many  cases  also  they  desert  the  mines,  especially  small  ones,  and  form 
separate  puparia  in  the  same  or  other  leaves.  Mines  are  more  often 
found  with  two  or  three  larvae  or  puparia  within  than  with  a  single 
inhabitant,  and  as  many  as  eight  have  been  counted  on  a  single  leaf. 
To  the  average  person  the  mines  made  by  this  species  would  scarcely 
be  recognized  as  such,  as  the  leaves  merely  present  the  appearance  of 
dying  from  natural  causes,  portions  of  them  drying  and  withering. 

a  Monograph  of  Diptera  No.  Am.,  Pt.  III.  p.  234. 


12 


SOME    INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 


At  the  time  when  puparia  are  formed  on  the  leaf  surface  (see  fig. 
2,  b)  that  portion  of  the  leaf  is  still  green,  but  before  the  adult  hatches 
the  infested  area  usually  turns  brown,  like  the  larval  mines,  and  the 
first  two  or  three  segments  of  the  puparium  may  be  seen  protruding 
at  the  margin  of  the  leaf.  With  the  further  drying  of  the  leaves 
more  segments  are  exposed,  and  sometimes  the  entire  puparium  is 

brought  to  view  (fig. 
2,  c)  attached  by  its 
underside  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  leaf. 

The  mines  are  of 
irregular  form,  but 
are  usually  more  or 
less  rounded  or  ob- 
long, although  some- 
times irregulary  tri- 
angular when  found 
in  the  apex  of  a  leaf. 
The  two  outer  sur- 
faces of  the  leaves  be- 
come separated,  and 
the  excrement,  very 
fine  and  powdery 
and  nearly  black, 
can  be  seen  by  hold- 
ing the  mines  to  the 
light.  The  location  of 
the  larvae  can  also  be 
made  out  in  the  same 
manner  if ,  indeed,  the 
larvae  can  not  be  seen 
on  a  plain  surface. 
The  maggots  usually  work  somewhat  closely  together,  and  the 
puparia  also  are  frequently  found  placed  side  by  side.  Lower  leaves 
of  plants  are  more  affected  than  are  upper  ones,  and  attack  has  been 
noticed  to  be  more  extensive  where  plants  are  grown  in  shady 
locations. 

A  single  parasite,  Syntomosphyrum  sp.,  a  chalcidid,  determined  by 
Mr.  J.  C.  Crawford,  has  been  reared  by  the  writer  from  this  maggot. 


Fig.  2. — Parsnip  leaves  showing  location  of  larva  of  Acidia  fratria  in  its 
mine  at  c;  of  concealed  puparia  at  b,  and  of  exposed  puparium  at  c 
Drawn  from  life.    (Original.) 


METHODS  OF  CONTROL. 


According  to  the  writer's  experience,  this  species  shows  a  fondness 
for  plants  that  have  run  to  seed.  Hence  it  is  not  desirable  to  plant 
beds  in  the  vicinity  of  parsnip  or  other  susceptible  crops  grown 


ill  I     PAR8M  IP    l.l.  \l     M  i  \  BR.  I  8 

for  ill*'  market.  European  writers  <>n  the  celery  leaf-miner  state  thai 
dusting  the  affected  leaves  with  a  mixture  of  fine I3  powdered  soot  and 
lime,  three  parts  to  one,  has  proved  beneficial  in  preventing  the  flies 
From  depositing  their  eggs  upon  the  leaves,  li  is  applied  when  the 
leafage  is  damp.  Other  similar  deterrents,  such  as  road  dust,  would 
ha  \  e  about  1  he  same  effect . 

Sprays  of  kerosene  emulsion  and  of  carbolized  kerosene  emulsion 
have  also  been  reported  t<>  l>c  successful  in  the  treatment  of  young 
plants  affected  by  the  celery  leaf-miner.  These,  if  applied  at  the 
proper  time,  would  act  as  deterrents  and  might  have  some  effect  on 
the  larvae  at  about  the  time  when  they  arc  ready  to  transform  to 
pupae  and  when  the  mines  arc  thin.  Ii  is  doubtful,  however,  if  either 
o(  these  Quids  would  penetrate  the  leaves  to  any  great  extent  except 
at  this  time. 


THE  PARSLEY  STALK  WEEVIL. 

(listronotus  tatiusculus  Boh.) 

By  F.  II.  Chittenden,  Sc.  D., 

In  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  In  instigations. 

INJURIOUS  OCCURRENCE. 

Certain  species  of  curculios,  or  weevils,  of  semiaquatic  habits  that 
normally  feed  upon  wild  plants  growing  in  marshy  situations,  through 
the  reclamation  and  cultivation  of  such  tracts,  occasionally  attack 
crop  plants,  and  for  a  season  or  more  accomplish  serious  damage. 
In  many  instances  injuries  are  peculiarly  local  and  are  not  apt  to 
recur,0  but  there  is  always  a  possibility  that  insects  of  such  habits 
may,  in  course  of  time,  after  the  cultivation  of  the  same  areas,  with 
or  without  the  disappearance  of  these  wild  food  plants,  become 
permanent  pests.  An  instance  may  be  cited  which  came  under  the 
observation  of  Prof.  F.  M.  Webster,  of  this  Bureau,  in  Ohio,  in  1804, 
of  attack  on  cabbage  by  two  semiaquatic  species  of  weevil,  Listronotus 
appendiculatus  Boh.,  and  Notaris  (Erycus)  puncticollis  Lee.  About 
50,000  plants  were  set  late  in  June  in  a  field  of  swamp  land  under- 
drained  the  previous  year,  and  as  many  as  10  individuals  of  the 
first-mentioned  species  were  found  about  single  plants,  gouging 
great  cavities  in  the  stalks.  The  former,  with  others  of  its  genus, 
develops  normally  in  arrow-head  (Sagittaria  spp.)  and  some  related 
aquatic  plants. 

It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  similar  injuries  should  be  committed 
by  insects  of  the  same  class.  During  the  last  of  July  and  first  days 
of  August,  1902,  Mr.  F.  C.  Pratt,  of  this  Bureau,  noted  injury  to  parsley 
grown  at  Four  Mile  Run,  Virginia,  which  upon  examination  was 
found  to  be  due  to  both  larva?  and  adults  of  Listronotus  latiusculus 
Boh.  Injury  continued  the  following  season — 1903.  It  thus  ex- 
tended over  four  years — 1900  to  1903,  inclusive. 

a  This  holds  for  several  forms  of  bill-bugs  (S phenophorus  spp.),  but  the  most  injuri- 
ous species  are  practically  permanent  corn  pests  in  certain  localities,  owing  to  environ- 
ment; for  example,  in  cornfields  planted  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  marshes, 
rivers,  or  other  bodies  of  water  in  which  the  aquatic  plants  in  which  they  have  their 
natural  homes  abound. 
14 


III!      PARSL1   N     SI  \I.K     \\  I   I  \  I 
DESCRIPTION. 


L5 


The  beetle  is  a  weevil  of  the  fa  mil  \  Curculionid®.     I'  >me> 

what  obscure  appearance,  there  being  man}  other  species  which 
resemble  it  superficially.  Ii  is  shown  in  the  illustration  (fig.  3 
its  resemblance  1  >  the  clover-leaf  weevil  and  related  speci  Phyto- 
nomus)  is  apparent.  The  two  genera  are  intimately  related.  From 
the  latter  genus  Listronotus  may  be  distinguished  by  the  different 
proportions  of  the  vent  ral  segments,  the  first,  second,  and  fifth  being 
long,  and  the  third  and  fourth  very  short .  The  legs  are  more  .slender, 
and  the  tibiae  are  bent  inward  at  the  tips  and  are  quite  strongly 
mucronate.  The  species, so  far  as  known,  are  winged.  Twenty-two 
Bpecies  are  indicated  by  Horn."  L.  latiusculus  Boh.  is  very  closely 
related  to  L.  impressifronslbec.  te  Conte  describes  the  two  species  as 
agreeing  m  form  and  sculpture  and  in  having  the  last  vent  ral  segment 
of  the  female  not  impressed,  but  in  latiusculus  the  rostrum  or  snout 
is  feebly  channeled  and  sulcate  with  the  frontal  fovea  faintly  indi- 
cated, while  in  impres- 
sifrons  the  rostrum  is 
strongly  channeled 
and  sulcate  with  the 
frontal  fovea  deep. 
The  length  without 
the  rostrum  is  about 
one-fourth  of  an  inch 
(6-7.5  mm.).  The 
color  is  brown,  varied 
with  rather  minute 
golden  or  cupreous 
scales,  with  which  the  entire  surface  is  covered.  The  rostrum  from 
the  eyes  to  the  tip  is  of  nearly  the  same  length  as  the  thorax. 

Tlie  egg. — The  egg  is  variably  oval,  from  about  two-thirds  to  three- 
fourths  as  wide  as  long,  not  visibly  flattened,  and  without  apparent 
sculpture.  The  only  eggs  examined  were  of  a  decidedly  dusky  hue, 
but  when  freshly  laid  they  were  probably  pale  gray  or  whitish 
and  subtranslucent.  Their  length  is  0.70-0.75  mm.,  and  the  width 
0.48-0.55  mm. 

The  larva  (fig.  3,  b,  c). — The  larva  differs  from  those  of  the  ordi- 
nary Curculionid  form  in  being  less  curved.  It  is  considerably  flat- 
tened and  crawls  easily,  being  comparatively  active.  The  larva  in 
the  cut  is  shown  in  the  position  assumed  after  death.  When  alive 
and  stretched  at  full  length  it  is  a  trifle  longer  than  the"  beetle.  It  is 
of  the  usual  milk-white  color  so  common  in  curculio  larvae,  and  lias 
the  same  pale,  reddish-brown  head  and   darker  mouth-parts.     The 


Fig. 


A  -"•  a  b 

!.— Listronotus  latiusculus:  a,  Beetle;  b,  larva  from  side;  c,  two 


abdominal   segments   from   above;   d,  pupa. 
(Original  ) 


All  much  enlarged. 


"  Rhynchophora  of  America  North  of  Mexico,  1876,  pp.  127-136. 


16  SOME    tNSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

head   is  comparatively  small,  of  about    the  same  width  as  length, 
excluding  the  mouth-parts. 

The  pupa  (fig.  3,  d). — The  pupa  is  creamy  white  in  color  and  is 
rather  thickly  covered  with  short,  stiff  bristles,  which  assist  it  in  loco- 
motion. It  is  quite  active  and  capable  of  crawling  a  considerable 
distance. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Le  Conte's  type  and  cotypes  were  from  Georgia  and  Louisiana. 
The  species  is  recorded  or  has  come  under  the  writer's  notice  from 
a  limited  number  of  localities.  These  include  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  (Chit- 
tenden);  New  York,  N.  Y.  (Juelich  and  Roberts);  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
(Juelich) ;  Madison,  Gloucester,  and  Hudson  County,  N.  J.  (Smith) ; 
Four  Mile  Run,  Va.  (Pratt) ;  and  Washington,  D.  C. 

INJURY  AT  FOUR  MILE  RUN,  VIRGINIA. 

When  this  species  was  first  observed,  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  sev- 
eral larvae  and  a  single  adult  were  found  in  the  tuberous  roots  under- 
ground. The  trucker  on  whose  farm  the  injury  was  committed  stated 
that  he  had  observed  attack  by  this  species  the  twTo  years  before,  i.  e., 
in  1900  and  1901,  when  it  occasioned  some  loss.  The  outward  mani- 
festations consist  in  the  tops  of  the  parsley  beginning  to  turn  yellow, 
then  wilting,  and  finally  drying  out.  When  a  plant  was  pulled,  the 
roots  broke  off  just  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  frequently  dis- 
lodging the  larva  or  grub  and  leaving  others  below.  September  5, 
when  a  third  visit  was  paid  to  the  infested  locality,  injury  had 
increased  beyond  all  expectations,  nearly  half  of  the  crop  having  been 
destroyed.  As  in  the  previous  instance,  larvae  and  adults  were  found, 
as  also  pupae.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  single  adult  found  on 
the  first  occasion  was  a  straggler  from  the  first  or  hibernated  genera- 
tion and  the  beetles  found  later  were  members  of  the  new  generation. 
Where  the  larvae  were  found  attacking  small  stems — those  less  than  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter — injury  was  shown  quite  early  and  the 
plant  was  killed.  But  in  older  stems  from  one-half  to  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  in  diameter  damage  was  not  so  conspicuous.  Large  tubers 
show  excavations  on  an  average  of  about  1  inch  in  length  and  a  fourth 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Owing  to  the  soft  nature  of  the  roots  these 
excavations  are  decidedly  irregular  and  assume  a  light  reddish-brown 
color.  The  holes  made  by  the  beetles  in  exit  are  so  large  that  some- 
times considerable  quantities  of  earth  are  washed  in  by  rains  and 
doubtless  assist  in  promoting  decay,  leading  to  the  ultimate  destruc- 
tion of  the  plants.  Some  of  the  outer  roots  proceeding  from  the 
tubers  are  also  penetrated.  In  one  root  under  examination,  con- 
taining two  larvae,  less  than  one-fourth  of  the  root  remains,  the  rest 
having  been  destroyed  by  decay.     In  1903  larvae  were  observed  as 


1  III.    PARSLEY     STALK    WEI  VIL. 


IT 


late  as  September  I.  batching  In  the  outside  leaf-stems  and  burroi 
through  until  they  had  penel  rated  the  root,  fntheillust  mi  inn  (fj 
injured  plants  are  Bhown,  the  one  on  the  right  containing  a  larva, 

nat  in  al  size,  in  l  lie  roots. 


OVIPOSITION 


h  was  readily  learned  i  ha1  t  he  beef  les  deposited  their  eggs  in  parsley 
stalks,  large  punctured  arras  corresponding  t<>  the  diameter  of  the 
anoul  of  the  beetle  being  noticeable  from  a  point  just  bekro  the  top 


Fig.  4.  — Parsley  roots  showing  work  of  parsley  stalk  weevil.     (Original.) 

of  the  stalks  nearly  to  their  base.  Three  or  four  such  places  of  egg 
deposit  are  usually  seen  in  a  large  stalk.  The  usual  number  of  eggs 
inserted  seems  to  be  two,  although  frequently  a  third  is  found  and 
sometimes  only  one.  Most  curculionids,  however,  deposit  a  single 
egg  in  a  slit  made  for  the  purpose.  Where  the  stalk  has  attained 
sufficient  size  and  strength  to  continue  growth  after  the  beetle  has 
deposited  its  eggs,  the  larva  lives  within  it,  going  downward  into  the 
roots.  In  some  cases  plants  are  killed  by  too  many  punctures,  par- 
ticularly when  quite  small  and  delicate,  and  then  the  larva?  desert  the 


18  SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

stems,  evidently  by  simply  tumbling  out  to  the  ground,  into  which 
they  crawl  and  attack  the  roots  by  boring  in  from  outside. 

FOOD  PLANTS  AND  HABITS. 

Mosl  collectors  of  Coleoptera  who  have  had  opportunity  to  observe 
aquatic  and  other  forms  of  hectics  that  frequent  ponds  and  water 
courses  are  familiar  with  the  fact  that  the  genus  Listronotus  is  to 
be  found  in  the  greatest  abundance  on  aquatic  or  semiaquatic  plants, 
more  particularly  on  Sagittaria.  Years  ago  Dr.  C.  M.  Weed  made 
observations  on  the  present  curculio  and  its  food  habits. a  He 
found  the  larvae  in  seed  capsules  or  heads,  as  well  as  in  stalks,  of 
the  common  arrow-head  (Sagittaria  variabilis)  and  furnished  some 
interesting  observations  on  the  insect's  life  history.  Beetles  began 
to  emerge  September  23  (in  Ohio),  continuing  emergence  until  the 
middle  of  October.  The  length  of  the  pupal  stage  was  determined 
as  eleven  days.  The  duration  of  the  egg  stage  should  be  about  the 
same  at  the  same  temperature,  but  in  a  high  temperature  in  a  warmer 
climate  like  that  of  Washington  eggs  might  develop  in  seven  days, 
while  the  larval  stage  is  of  only  a  few  weeks'  duration.  During  the 
same  year  that  Doctor  Weed  wrote  of  this  species,  the  late  Wilhelm 
Juelich  informed  me  that  he  had  found  the  beetles  near  New  York 
City  in  the  lower  parts  of  reeds  (Phragmites),  near  the  bottoms. 

In  the  Bureau  of  Entomology  we  have  a  record  of  the  finding  of 
the  larva  by  Mr.  A.  Koebele  in  August,  1884,  in  Virginia,  near  the 
District  of  Columbia,  in  the  seed  capsules  of  a  species  of  Sagittaria, 
August  31.  The  beetles  developed  in  great  numbers,  beginning 
September  22. 

It  is  not  usual  that  phytophagous  Coleoptera  develop  in  so  many 
portions  of  a  plant  as  in  the  case  of  the  present  species,  which  exists 
as  larva  in  the  seed  capsules  and  stalks  of  one  plant  and  in  the  roots, 
of  a  different  plant.5  It  is  not  probable  that  it  would  be  able  to  live 
in  portions  of  purely  terrestrial  plants  other  than  the  roots  or  stalks 
near  the  ground,  because  the  insect  evidently  requires  a  more  than 
usual  degree  of  moisture.     In  other  words,  it  is  semiaquatic.6 

«  Bui.  Ohio  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.,  Tech.  Ser.,  Vol.  I,  Xo.  1,  pp.  10,  11,  1889. 

b  Compare  the  writer's  observations  with  others  on  the  biology  of  Conotrachelus 
elcgans  (Bui.  18,  n.  s.,  p.  94),  which  breeds  commonly  at  the  roots  of  Amaranthus 
and  has  been  stated  by  others  to  live  on  hickory;  since  the  eggs  are  known  to  be  de- 
posited in  rolled-up  leaves  of  hickory,  it  seems  probable  that  the  beetles  develop  in 
some  other  portion  of  that  plant  than  at  the  roots.  The  congeneric  plum  curculio 
(C.  nenuphar  Hbst.)  not  only  develops  in  the  plum  and  other  stone  fruits,  but  also 
in  black-knot  (Plowrightia  morbosa). 


II!  I     PAR8L1  V   STALK    WEEVIL.  1  (.> 

METHODS  OF  CONTROL 

The  grower  who  reported  injur}  to  parsley  in  Virginia  abandoned 
thia  crop  on  account  of  the  ravages  of  the  weevil.  Hence  no  ex] 
ments  could  be  made  with  remedies.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  species  could  l>c  reached  with  bisulphid  <>l  carbon  <>r  kerosene 
emulsion  applied  about  the  roots  in  the  same  manner  as  for  root- 
maggots  and  similar  insects.  All  things  considered,  however,  in 
the  < -mm'  o(  parsley  tin*  wisest  measure  was  just  what  tin*  grower 
did.  After  the  lapse  of  a  year  or  two,  perhaps,  par-Icy  might  be 
grown  with  impunity   in  the  same  locality. 


THE  CELERY  CATERPILLAR. 

(Papilio  polyxenes  Fab.) 

By  F.  H.  Chittenden,  Sc.  1). 
In  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 

INTRODUCTION. 

Everywhere  in  beds  of  celery,  carrots,  parsley,  and  related  plants 
there  will  be  found,  during  summer  and  autumn,  numbers  of  a  large 
green  or  yellowish  caterpillar,  ringed  with  black.  Tins  is  the  celery 
caterpillar,  known  also  as  the  parsley  worm  and  by  other  common 
names.  It  is,  everything  considered,  one  of  the  insects  best  known 
to  the  grower  of  the  crop  plants  mentioned,  this  being  due  to  its 
large  size  and  conspicuous,  gay  coloring.  It  feeds  upon  the  leaves 
of  plants  and,  when  abundant,  attacks  the  blossoms  and  undeveloped 
seeds.  If  left  entirely  unmolested  it  might,  save  for  the  intervention 
of  natural  enemies,  become  a  serious  pest,  since  it  is  a  voracious 
feeder.  It  is  readily  controlled,  however,  by  handpicking,  and  this 
helps  to  reduce  the  numbers  of  the  pest.  In  addition,  its  habit  of 
feeding  on  wild  parsnip,  wild  carrot,  and  other  umbelliferous  weeds, 
which  are  altogether  too  abundant,  serves  to  distribute  attack  as 
well  as  to  divert  it  from  useful  plants. 

DESCRIPTIVE. 

Nearly  every  year  inquiries  are  made  in  regard  to  this  insect,  but 
it  is  seldom  so  plentiful  as  to  call  for  advice  in  regard  to  treatment. 

Complaints  of  injury  and  requests  for  remedies,  however,  have 
been  received  in  recent  years  from  portions  of  Long  Island,  Maryland, 
District  of  Columbia,  Virginia,  Iowa,  and  some  other  regions.  In 
our  correspondence  it  has  attracted  most  attention  because  of  its 
occurrence  on  celery,  parsley,  and  sweet  fennel. 

The  egg. — The  egg  of  this  butterfly  is  of  globular  form  and  rather 
large,  measuring  about  1  mm.  in  width  and  the  same  in  height.  It 
is  flattened  on  the  surface  by  which  it  is  attached,  as  shown  in  figure 
5,  d.  When  first  laid  the  egg  is  pale  honey-yellow,  but  afterwards 
turns  in  parts  to  reddish  brown.  The  surface  is  slightly  glistening 
and  covered  with  microscopic  granulations. 
20 


i  ii  I     i  i  i.i  i;\    <   \  i  i  iM'M.i.  \i;. 


21 


Tin  larva.  The  young  stages  of  the  larva  are  totally  dissimilar 
to  the  mature  ones,     Five  distinct  si  aized,  the  second 

of  which  Is  illustrated  ai  e,  figure  5.  This  caterpillar  is  shown, 
lateral  view,  id  figure  5,  a.  It  is  usually  green,  sometimes  yellowish, 
ami  strongl}  ringed  with  velvetj  black  and  .spotted  ;i^  figured. 
Another  caterpillar  is  shown  at  l>  to  illustrate  the  appearance  <>f  the 
head  and  the  peculiar  yellow  scent  organs  (osmateria).  These  arc 
protruded  when  the  insect  is  disturbed,  and  they  exhale  a  pungent 

odor,  similar  to  that  of  the  bruised  Leaves  of  their  food  plants  hut   <»f 

greater  intensity  and  very  disagreeable. 

'/'/,<  (iiliilt. — The  parent  insect  is  one  of  the  swallowtail  butterflies 
known  1>\  various  oames,  but  more  commonly  as  the  black  swallow- 
tail.    The  ground  color  is  velvety -black,  relieved  by  yellow  bands  in 


mmt 


Fig.  5.— The  celery  caterpillar  (Papilio  polyxenes):  a,  Full-grown  larva,  side  view;  6,  view  showing 
head  with  extruded  osmateria;  c,  male  butterfly;  d,  egg  in  profile;  e,  young  larva;  /,  suspended  chrysalis. 
All  about  natural  size,  except  d,  which  is  much  enlarged.    (Original.) 


the  male,  as  shown  in  the  illustration  (fig.  5).  The  hind  wings  are 
ornamented  on  the  inside  by  eyelike  markings  resembling  those  of 
the  male  peacock,  and  they  terminate  in  the  "  tails,"  from  which  the 
insect  derives  its  common  name.  The  female  (fig.  6)  is  of  larger 
size,  somewhat  faded  black,  and  in  every  way  of  a  more  somber 
appearance  than  her  spouse — a  rule  which  holds  good  for  most 
butterflies.  Many  of  the  yellow  spots,  particularly  those  arranged 
in  the  form  of  bands,  are  wanting,  and  the  hind  wings  are  ornamented 
with  pale  blue  scales  on  the  posterior  half.  This  species  is  subject 
to  every  conceivable  variation  in  color.  The  wing  expanse  is  usually 
3  inches  or  a  little  more. 

The  chrysalis. — The  chrysalis  is  of  a  dull  gray  color,  mottled  with 
black  and  brown,  and  measures  a  little  less  than  \\  inches  (see  fi^.  5,/). 


22  SOME    INSECTS    INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

In  some  respects  this  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  insects 
found  attacking  garden  plants.  In  the  first  place,  it  appears  to  be 
limited  to  no  special  life  zone,  if  we  can  judge  by  the  records  of  dis- 
tribution. It  occurs  in  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union.  From 
a  very  considerable  portion  of  Canada  from  east  to  west  bordering 
the  Unite<  States,  its  range  extends  through  Central  America  and  the 
West  Indies  to  South  America,  at  least  as  far  as  Venezuela. 

HABITS  AND  LIFE  HISTORY. 

Even  without  the  warning  scent  organs  with  which  the  larva  is 
supplied,  its  colors  are  so  peculiar  that  birds  soon  recognize  it  and 
learn  to  leave  it  undisturbed,  owing  to  its  disagreeable  taste.  It 
is  not,  however,  free  from  insect  enemies.     It  would  seem  that  the 


Fig.  6.— The  celery  caterpillar:  Female  butterfly.    About  natural  size.    (Original.) 

larva  is  perfectly  well  aware  of  its  immunity  from  attack  by  birds, 
since  it  feeds  in  plain  view  in  the  later  stages  and  even  crawls  to  the 
outer  surface  of  plants,  appearing  to  invite  the  freest  exposure.  It 
is  remarkable,  also,  that  the  colors  of  the  pupa  as  well  as  its  attachment 
to  inconspicuous  objects  render  it  comparatively  free  from  natural 
enemies.  Fitch  (in  manuscript)  noticed  "a,  female  at  midday  hover- 
ing around  some  caraway,  ovipositing.  She  gently  settles  on  the 
end  of  a  leaf,  holding  thereto  with  her  feet  for  a  few  moments,  whilst 
she  curves  her  abdomen  forward  and  places  an  egg  on  the  upper 
sin  face  of  one  of  the  small  leaflets,  and  then  gently  flies  away  to 
another  leaf." 

Owing  to  the  extremely  wide  range  of  this  species  there  is  much 
variation  in  its  life  history.  Gundlaeh  and  Chapman  observed  this 
insect  in  Cuba  and  Florida,  respectively,  and  their  observations, 
with  those  of  others  farther  north,  show  that  the  eggs  hatch  in  from 


I  ill.   I  I  i.i  Rl    CAT!  BPILLAB.  23 

four  to  nine  day 8,  thai  the  larval  period  may  be  passed  in  the  extreme 

South  in  from  nine  t<>  ten  days,  although  this  is  oftener  four  \\<'rk> 
in  the  North,  and  thai  the  chrysalis  period  varies  between  nine  and 
eighteen  days.  The  writer  observed  t  he  pupal  period  at  Washington, 
1).  (\,  from  Jnlv  8  t<>  Jul]  Is.  ;i  total  of  nine  and  one-half  days  in 
hot  weather.  This  gives  us  ;i  possible  minimum  life  cycle  of  from 
twenty-two  days,   in   the   insect's  southern   range,   to  eight    weeks 

northward.  In  the  North  the  insect  is  douUe-hrooded,  and  winters 
in    the   chrysalis   stage.      In    the   extreme   South    there   are    probably 

three  or  four  generations  produced  each  year.  Thus  butterflies 
appear  in  the  South  in  March  and  April  and  begin  the  deposition  of 
their  eggs,  while  in  the  New  England  States  ami  in  similar  latitudes 

the  butterfly  does  not  appear  on  the  wing  until  May,  and  seldom  before 
the   middle  of  that    month. 

Besides  celery,  this  insect  attacks  practically  all  other  umbellif- 
erous plants,  including  carrot,  parsley,  caraway,  fennel,  parsnip, 
dill,  and  related  wild  plants.  It  does  not  appear  to  attack,  except 
in  extreme  cases,  any  plant  outside  of  this  botanical  family. 

NATURAL  ENEMIES. 

The  principal  insect  enemies  are  species  of  ichneumon  flies  of  rather 
large  size,  single  specimens  of  which  serve  to  destroy  the  insect 
in  its  pupal  stage.  The  best  known  of  these  are  two  species  of 
Trogus — exesorius  Brulle  and  exidianator  Brulle.  Some  other  natural 
enemies,  however,  have  been  recorded.  The  list  includes  Apanteles 
lunatus  Pack,  and  a  dragon  fly,  Anax  longipes  Hagen. 

REMEDIES. 

The  conspicuous  appearance  of  the  larvae  of  this  species  renders 
them  what  might  be  called  an  "easy  mark,"  as  they  are  readily  found 
and  can  be  crushed  under  foot,  and  no  other  remedies  are  necessary 
if  the  work  of  destruction  is  begun  before  the  plants  are  injured. 
The  killing  off  of  the  first  generation  wall  serve  in  considerable  measure 
to  destroy  the  insects  so  as  to  prevent  a  very  large  second  brood  or 
generation,  particularly  if  this  can  be  accomplished  over  a  consider- 
able territory.  The  butterfly  is  a  strong  flier,  and  cooperation  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  insect  in  check  wrhen  it  becomes  destructive. 
The  caterpillar  can  also  be  destroyed  with  an  arsenical,  either  Paris 
green  or  arsenate  of  lead,  but  recourse  to  these  is,  as  a  rule,  scarcely 
necessary,  owTing  to  the  ease  with  which  the  "worms"  can  be  hand- 
picked. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

The   swallow-tail   butterfly  is   considered   in   most  text-books   on 
general  entomology  and  in  many  popular  periodicals  on  the  same 
topic.     A  list  of  technical  references  is  given  in  Scudder's  Butterflies 
66513°— Bull.  82—12 3 


24  ME    [NSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

of  Now  England — mentioned  as  No.  6  below — and  a  list  of  publica- 
tions in  which  the  immature  stages  are  considered  is  furnished  in 
Henry  Edwards's  Catalogue  of  the  Described  Transformations  of  the 
North  American  Lepidoptera  (No.  5).  A  brief  list  is,  therefore,  all 
thai  is  necessary  for  the  present  purpose. 

(1)  Fabricius,  J.  C. — Systema  Entomologica,  pp.  444-445,  1775. 

<  original  description  of  the  species  as  Papilio  polyxenes. 

(2)  Smith  &  Abbot. — Lepidopterous  insects  of  Georgia,  vol.  I,  p.  1,  pi.  1, 1792. 

Short  account,  with  colored  plate,  illustrating  all  stages  except  egg.    Mentioned  as  Papilio 
troilux." 

(3)  Cramer,  Pieter.— Papillons  exotiques,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  194-196,  pi.  385,  figs.  C-B, 

1782. 
Redescribed  as  Papilio  asterius. 

(4)  Harris,  T.  W.— Insects  injurious  to  vegetation,  1841,  pp.  211-213,  Flint  ed., 
1862,  pp.  263-266,  pi.  4,  fig.  4. 

An  excellent  account  of  this  species  with  illustrations.    Mentioned  as  Papilio  asterius  Cram. 

(5)  Edwards,  Hy.— Bui.  35,  U.  S.  National  Museum,  p.  10, 1889. 

List  of  references  to  the  described  transformations  of  this  species  to  date. 

(6)  Scudder,  S.  H. — Butterflies  of  the  Eastern  United  States  and  Canada,  Vol.  II, 
pp. 1353-1364, 1889. 

A  monographic  account,  including  references  to  technical  descriptions  of  all  stages,  geographical 
distribution,  habits,  life  history,  etc. 

aPapilio  troilus  L.  is  an  entirely  different  species. 


i  .  s.  D.  \..  !'•■  i     Bui.  82,  ran  ill.  hsued  Deoembei 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 


THE  LIMA-BEAN  POD-BORER. 

I  EtUlla  zinckenella  Treit.  I 

By  I".  II.  Chittenden,  Sc.  I'.. 
//;  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 

INJURIOUS  OCCURRENCE. 

In  looking  over  some  old  material  and  notes  in  the  Bureau  of 
Entomology  and  National  Museum,  some  larvae  closely  resembling 
the  Lima-bean  vine-borer  (Monoptilota  nubilella  Hulst)  were  discov- 
ered, accompanied  by  a  note  by  Mr.  Albert  Koebele  to  the  effect 
that  they  were  found  on  Lima  beans  at  Rattlesnake  Bridge,  Eldorado 
County,  CaL,  July  21,  1885.  The  beans  in  that  vicinity  were  much 
infested  by  larvae  of  this  species.  The  seed  beans  had  been  received 
from  Ohio  the  previous  spring,  but  this  evidently  had  no  bearing  on 
the  origin  of  the  insect,  although  the  larvae  injured  the  growing 
seeds. 

More  recently,  in  1908,  the  same  species  was  discovered  by  Mr. 
H.  O.  Marsh  at  Santa  Ana  and  Garden  Grove,  Gal.,  in  September 
and  October,  infesting  Lima-bean  pods.  At  this  time  it  was  abun- 
dant in  Santa  Ana,  in  one  garden  nearly  every  pod  containing  a 
larva;  at  Garden  Grove  the  species  had  ruined  fully  40  per  cent  of 
a  good-sized  patch  of  late  beans.  Another  lot  was  received  from 
Anaheim,  CaL,  October  22.  The  larvae  were  common  at  this  time 
also  but  not  as  injurious  as  in  the  other  localities.  The  adults 
began  issuing  January  9,  1909,  and  continued  coming  out  until  Feb- 
ruary 25. 

Later  the  same  collector  found  this  species  at  work  at  Compton 
and  Watts,  CaL,  in  November.  During  the  latter  half  of  November 
the  larvae  were  scarce,  practically  all  having  disappeared  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  belated  individuals  here  and  there. 

DESCRIPTION  AND  DISTRIBUTION. 

The  moth  has  a  wing  expanse  of  a  little  less  than  an  inch;  the 
head  is  armed  with  three  long,  conspicuous  labial  palpi,  showing  its 
relation  to  the  snout-moths.     The  ground  color  is  gray,  interspersed 

25 


26 


SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 


with  ochreous  scales  od  the  fore  wings.  A  conspicuous,  broad  white 
Btripe  extends  over  the  base  of  the  fore  wing  along  the  costa  to  the 
apex.  In  the  inner  fourth  of  the  fore  wing  there  is  also  a  cross-band 
of  brighter  ochreous  freely  dotted  with  brown  spots.  The  moth  is 
illustrated  by  figure  7,  a,  representing  the  female.  The  sexes  may 
be  readily  distinguished  by  the  antennae. 

The  original  description  of  this  species  is  by  Treitschke,a  who,  in 
1832,  named  it  Phycis  zinckenella  n.  sp.,  from  Sicily. 

It  has  also  been  described  under  at  least  thirteen  other  names, 
including  schisticolor  Zell.,  and  rubribasella  Hulst.  Full  references  to 
technical  descriptions  are  given  by  Hulst  in  his  article  entitled  ''The 
Phycitidse  of  North  America"5  and  in  the  Dyar  list  (No.  4807). 

Doctor  Dyar  has  sugges- 
ted that  scMsticolor  Zell.  is 
synonymous  with  zincken- 
ella Treit.  and  in  further 
elaboration  states,  in  a  let- 
ter dated  May  28,  1909: 

I  have  compared  the  Etiella 
species  and  find  only  one  and  that 
the  same  as  the  European  zinck- 
enella. Hulst 's  rubribasella  is  evi- 
dently a  synonym,  founded  on 
an  imperfect  or  badly  mounted 
specimen:  schisticolor  Zell.  is  paler 
gray,  less  reddish  tinted,  the  costal 
stripe  less  sharply  defined,  but  I 
think  it  a  racial  form  only.  Many 
of  our  moths  that  extend  into  the 
arid  country  are  of  a  paler  gray 
there,  to  match  the  desert  tints; 
but  I  do  not  think  the  character  is  specific.  The  costal  stripe  in  some  of  the 
specimens  is  as  sharply  marked  as  in  eastern  ones,  and  the  eastern  ones  also  vary 
in  depth  of  color. 

Like  the  pea  moth,  this  species  appears  to  be  an  inhabitant  of 
the  Eastern  Hemisphere  and  has  been  introduced,  perhaps,  from 
both  Europe  and  Asia.  North  Carolina  is  the  northernmost  locality 
recorded  by  Hulst,  but  it  may  be  present  farther  north  in  the  Atlan- 
tic region. 

Of  its  habits  Milliere  c  says  that  it  lives  in  the  larval  stage  on 
Colutea  arborescens. 

Of  the  distribution  Hulst  gives  Florida,  North  Carolina,  South 
Carolina,  Texas,  Colorado,  California,  West  Indies,  South  America, 

flF.  Treitschke.     Schmetterlinge  von  Europa,  Vol.  IX,  p.  201,  Leipzig,  1832. 

b  Trans.  Am.  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  XVII.  p.  170,  1890. 

c  Ann.  Soc.  Linn.  Lyon,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  231.  1861?     Not  seen. 


te 
le 

id 


Fig.  7.— Lima-bean  pod-borer  (Etiella  zinckenella):  a,  Te- 
male  moth;  6,  antenna  of  male  moth;  e,  larva,  dorsal 
view;  d,  lateral  view  of  one  abdominal  segment.  Twice 
natural  size  except  b,  which  is  more  enlarged.    (Original.) 


I  in.    i.i.ma  BEAD    POD  BOBEB.  'J  7 

Europe,  Wesi  Africa,  Madagascar,  and  Centra]  Asia.  Evidently 
the  species  is  cosmopolitan  but  maj  not  occur  far  northward. 

Comparison  «»i"  the  moth  of  this  insect  with  that  of  the  corn  stalk- 
borer  (Elasmopalpus)  shows  considerable  superficial  resemblance, 
while  the  larva  is  decidedlj  more  like  thai  of  the  Lima-bean  vine- 
borer  (Monoptilota),  In  the  Dyar  list  the  genus  Etiella  follows 
three  genera   after   Elasmopalpus.     These   three  species   belong  to 

the  same  family,  the  Ph\  cil  i<he. 

Thi     larva. — The    larva,    when    mature,    presents    the    appearance 

illustrated  in  figure  7.  c,  <L  It  is  of  robust  form,  strongly  convex 
above,  and  somewhat  strongly  flattened  on  the  lower  surface;  widest 
at  the  first  two  abdominal  segments,  from  which  it  tapers  very  feebly 

both  anteriorly  and  posteriorly  until  the  anal  extremity,  which  is 
much  narrowed.  The  general  color  is  rosy,  sometimes  with  a  purplish 
tinge,  much  darker  on  the  dorsal  than  on  the  ventral  surface,  which 
is  somewhat  faintly  tinted.  Segmentation  is  strong  and  the  abdom- 
inal folds  are  pronounced.  The  head  is  more  than  half  as  wide  as 
the  (irst  thoracic  segment,  honey-yellow  in  color,  darker  about  the 
tropin  and  along  the  margins;  the  hemispheres  are  well  divided  above; 
the  inverted  V-mark  is  distinct,  the  outer  lines  broken  above  the 
middle.  The  first  thoracic  segment  is  paler  than  the  other  twro,  tinged 
with  honey-yellow,  and  spotted  with  browm,  about  as  illustrated  in 
figure  7,  which  also  shows  the  pattern  of  ornamentation  of  the  dorsal 
surface  generally.  The  anterior  legs  are  well  developed  as  are  also 
the  four  pairs  of  abdominal  and  the  anal  prolegs.  The  arrangement 
and  location  of  the  piliferous  tubercles  and  hairs  which  they  bear  are 
also  sufficiently  well  shown  to  render  further  description  superfluous, 
especially  as  only  a  single  properly  preserved  specimen  is  available 
for  the  purpose.     The  length  is  about  16  mm. 

Younger  larvae  seen  were  pale,  either  whitish  or  light  green. 

The  eggs  have  not  been  seen  and  no  pupae  are  at  hand  for  descrip- 
tion. 

ADDITIONAL  REMARKS. 

Opportunity  has  thus  far  not  offered  for  study  of  the  habits  of  the 
species.  Of  the  larvae  received,  it  was  noticed  that  they  feed  en- 
tirely within  the  pod  and  in  some  cases  were  found  in  a  slight  web 
mingled  with  excrement.  They  attack  the  bean  along  the  edge  and 
usually  devour  the  germ,  consuming  the  entire  bean  if  young  and 
tender.  They  are  quite  capable  of  entering  other  pods  by  cutting  a 
small  hole  in  the  side. 

Larvae  were  seen  crawling  around  in  a  package  when  received,  Sep- 
tember 23,  evidently  seeking  a  place  for  pupation.     When  placed  in 


28 


SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 


a  rearing  jar  with  sand  they  burrowed  down  to  the  depth  of  an  inch 
or  a  litt  le  more  and  surrounded  themselves  with  a  slight  web. 

It  is  Qoticeable  that  this  species  was  found  only  upon  Lima  beans 
in  its  occurrence  in  California. 

An  ichneumon-fly  parasite  (Chttn.  No.  1412°)  issued  October  19 
to  October  30,  1908. 

As  a  very  complete  systematic  bibliography  is  published  by  Doctor 
Dyai \"  and,  moreover,  as  the  titles  cited  have  little  bearing  on  the 
matter  in  point,  bibliographical  references  will  be  omitted  in  the 
present  paper.  Admitting  that  zinclcenella  and  schisticolor  are  syno- 
nyms, the  Dyar  catalogue  furnishes  no  less  than  fourteen  synonyms, 
the  species  having  been  given  that  number  of  specific  names  by  differ- 
ent writers,  the  list  including  six  by  Walker. 

No  opportunity  has  presented  itself  for  experiments  in  the  reme- 
dial control  of  the  insect,  and  unless  it  should  be  held  in  check  by 
natural  enemies  it  is  probably  destined  to  be  a  pest  during  some 
seasons,  in  localities  where  it  has  become  well  established,  on  Lima 
beans. 


a  Bul.  52,  United  States  National  Museum,  p.  428,  1902. 


THE  YELLOW-NECKED   FLEA-BEETLE. 

I  Disonycha  mellicollis  Saj .  I 

By  I".  II .  <  iiittimh  \.  8c.  D., 
///  Chargt  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Trued  Investigations. 

[With  report  by  II.  0.  Marsh,  Agent  and  Expert.] 
INJURIOUS  OCCURRENCE. 

Beginning  with  January,  1909,  the  yellow-necked  flea-beetle  (Dis- 
onycha metticoUis  Say),  which  appears  to  be  particularly  injurious  the 
present  year,  began  to  attract  attention  in  the  South,  being  reported, 
by  agents  and  others,  on  truck  crops  in  Texas  and  Florida.  January 
26,  Mr.  1).  K.  McMillan  stated  that  this  species  was  common  at  Browns- 
ville, Tex.,  on  spinach.  ITe  found  only  adults,  although  several  pairs 
were  in  copula.  Tie  had  also  found  adults  resting  under  portulaca 
and  amaranthus  and  on  lettuce.  At  that  time  it  had  not  proved 
very  injurious,  hut  was  so  much  more  abundant  than  in  the  previous 
year  that  it  was  surmised  that  the  insect  might  become  a  pest.  The 
following  day  we  received  the  same  species  on  beets,  collected  by  Mr. 
II.  M.  Russell,  at  Boynton,  Dade  County,  Fla.  In  this  case  both 
adults  and  eggs  were  obtained.  The  latter  were  deposited  in  masses 
of  six,  ten,  and  eleven  on  the  underside  of  the  leaves.  January  29 
Mr.  Roger  S.  Baldwin,  Boynton,  Fla.,  wrote  that  beets  were  being 
attacked  by  the  spinach  flea-beetle.  The  specimens  sent  in  each 
case  proved  to  be  Disonycha  mellicollis  Say  and  not  Disonycha 
xantliomeldena  Dalm. 

Writing  about  the  yellow-necked  flea-beetle,  February  12,  Mr. 
Baldwin  stated  that  the  adults  were  taken  from  table  beets  grown 
at  Boynton,  Fla.,  on  black,  wet,  mucky  soil.  He  expressed  the  opin- 
ion that  these  might  represent  a  second  generation,  as  all  that  were 
seen  on  the  earlier  beets  were  handpicked  or  treated  with  arsenate  of 
lead  in  the  form  of  a  spray.  The  earlier  beets  were  then  entirely 
freed  from  the  insects'  attack.  Later,  on  March  6,  Mr.  McMillan 
found  adults  in  considerable  numbers  on  spinach  and  beets,  the  leaves 
of  which  showed  holes  made  by  the  insects  in  feeding.  No  larvae 
were  observed  at  that  time,  but  the  adults  were  mating  and  a  few 
eggs  were  found. 

In  looking  over  earlier  records  the  writer  finds  that  in  the  summer 
of  1897  he  first  noticed  this  flea-beetle  in  numbers  taking  short  jumps 
about  the  common  purslane,  Portulaca  oleracea,  at  Glen  Echo,  Md. 

29 


30  SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 

Individuals  that  were  kept  in  a  vial  with  the  leaves  of  this  plant  fed 
freely  for  two  weeks,  whereupon  one  deposited  eggs.  A  mass  of  23 
eggs  was  obtained,  laid  irregularly,  some  in  rows  of  three  or  four  with 
similar  rows  overlapping.  When  first  noticed,  the  eggs  were  about  to 
hatch  and  were  blood-red — an  unusual  color  for  the  eggs  of  Chryso- 
melidae.  They  differ  from  those  of  the  closely  related  D.  xanthome- 
Isena,  or  spinach  flea-beetle,  chiefly  by  their  sanguineous  color,  but 
agree,  as  far  as  could  be  easily  seen,  in  all  other  important  particulars. 

The  larvae,  as  well  as  the  adults,  feed  on  portulaca.  Apparently 
the  larva  does  not  differ  to  any  noticeable  extent  from  that  of  xantho- 
melsena  save  in  color  and  in  possessing  less  prominent  tubercles.  The 
general  color  is  rather  dull  yellowish-red  with  no  apparent  striation. 
The  size  is  also  a  little  smaller. 

September  20,  1906,  Mr.  F.  W.  Roeding  sent  beetles  of  this  species 
from  Wichita  Falls,  Tex.,  with  the  report  that  they  occurred  in  beet 
fields. 

No  further  observations  were  made  on  this  species  until  November 
5,  1907,  when  the  writer  observed  it  on  chickweed  (Alsine  [Stellaria] 
media),  one  of  the  favorite  food  plants  of  xanthomelsena.  Several 
other  beetles  were  observed  in  the  same  location  and  these  fed  upon 
chickweed  when  provided  with  it.  In  April,  1909,  tins  species  was 
taken  under  boards  placed  over  chickweed  and  when  confined  fed 
more  freely  than  did  the  lot  found  in  November,  presumably  because 
the  latter  had  begun  hibernation.  The  following  year,  May  30,  Mr. 
McMillan  observed  the  beetles  feeding  on  portulaca  at  Brownsville, 
Tex.,  showing,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  and  as  he  had  previously  sur- 
mised, that  this  is  a  favorite  natural  food  plant. 

DESCRIPTION  AND  DISTRIBUTION. 

This  species  was  given  the  specific  name  which  it  now  bears  by 
Say,  in  1835.°  Later  it  was  redescribed  by  Le  Conte  as  semicarbon- 
ata.b  Of  the  eighteen  species  of  this  genus,  mellicollis  differs  from  all 
others,  except  collata  Fab.,  in  having  entirely  yellow  femora  or  thighs. 
It  is  smaller  than  either  xanthomelsena  or  collata.  The  color  varies. 
In  fresh  specimens  the  legs  and  thorax  are  reddish,  but  in  older  speci- 
mens they  are  much  paler  and  the  thorax  varies  from  metallic  green 
to  dark  blue.     The  species  was  redescribed  by  Horn  in  1889. c 

This  species  is  as  widely  distributed  as  the  average  Halticine,  but 
it  was  not  until  rather  recent  years  generally  recognized  by  collectors 
as  distinct  from  xanthomelsena.     It  is  recorded  by  Dr.  G.  H.  Horn 

a  Altica mellicollis,  Bost.  Journ.  Nat.  Hist.,  p.  199 ;  Complete  Writings  (LeConte  Ed.), 
Vol.  II,  p.  668, 1859. 

b  Ilaltica  semicarbonata,  Col.  Kans.  &  E.  New  Mex.,  p.  25,  1859. 
c  Trans.  Am.  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  XVI,  pp.  211-212,  1889. 


Tin:    S  i  1.1  mw    ,\  El  RED    i  i  i  \  ki.i.i  LB,  8  1 

from  Louisiana,  Texas,  and  Colorado.     The  writer  has  collected  speci 
mens  from  New    York  City  and  vicinity,  the  Districi  of  Columbia, 
Rosalyn,  Va.,  and  Glen  Echo,  M<l.,  and  has  seen  b  Beriee  from  North 
Carolina.     In  the  Btreets  of  New    York  be  observed  beetles  under 
stones  as  early  in  the  season  as  March  l.*>. 

It  has  been  recorded  from  as  far  inland  as  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  lmt  it 
is  apparently  a  maritime  form,  as  it  is  not  often  found  inland.  It 
should  be  remarked  tlmt  it  is,  like  other  flea-beetles,  decidedly  spas- 
modic as  regards  numbers. 

ECONOMIC   STATUS. 

The  economic  status  of  this  species  is  scarcely  established.  It  is 
not  at  all  unlikely  that  it  may  prove  in  time  to  be  quite  as  injurious 
to  beets  and  spinach,  locally  or  seasonally  in  the  Gulf  States,  as  is  its 
injurious  congener,  the  spinach  flea-beetle,  throughout  the  North 
and  in  the  Atlantic  region.  The  latter,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  docs 
much  more  injury  annually  than  is  attributed  to  it,  for  reasons 
which  the  writer  has  already  expressed.  When  it  attacks  very 
small  plants,  especially  in  the  larval  stage,  it  may  destroy  them 
completely  and  then  attack  the  roots. 

The  following  report  on  this  species  gives  some  details  not  covered 
by  the  preceding  pages: 

REPORT  BY  H.  O.  MARSH. 

The  beetles  of  Disonycha  mellicollis  were  observed  during  the  winter  and  spring  of 
1909  to  be  quite  common  and  injurious  at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  and  vicinity,  feeding 
on  beets,  spinach,  Amaranthus  retroflexus,  A.  spinosus,  A.  berlandieri,  Chenopodium 
sp.,  Portulaea  retusa,  and  P.  oleracca.  Injuries,  from  an  economic  standpoint,  were 
confined  to  beets  and  spinach. 

January  26,  the  beetles  were  common  on  spinach  and  a  few  specimens  were  feeding 
on  lettuce.  The  lettuce  was  in  a  row  adjoining  the  infested  spinach  and  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  the  beetles  do  not  feed  on  this  plant  except  in  rare  cases. 

Following  a  "norther''  in  January  a  number  of  beetles  were  found  under  dry  cow 
"chips"  where  they  had  gone  for  protection.  Several  females  had  deposited  their 
eggs  under  these;  doubtless  because  they  were  unable  to  retain  them  until  reaching  a 
more  suitable  place.  In  most  cases  these  eggs  were  a  considerable  distance  from  any 
food  and  the  larva?,  on  hatching,  must  certainly  have  starved.  During  this  month 
eggs  were  found  in  the  soil  at  the  base  of  amaranth  plants,  placed  in  clusters  quite 
close  to  the  surface. 

March  6,  the  beetles  occurred  in  considerable  numbers  on  spinach  and  beets,  the 
leaves  of  which  they  had  badly  riddled;  a  few  were  present  also  on  lettuce.  Many 
were,  mating  and  eggs  were  found.  Xo  larvae  were  observed.  Females  confined 
March  6  deposited  a  large  number  of  eggs  on  March  7,  which  hatched  on  the  17th. 

During  April  the  beetles  were  fairly  common  and  -were  scattered  on  several  food 
plants.  Purslane  seemed  to  be  the  favorite  wild  plant.  April  2,  nearly  mature 
larvae  were  observed  in  some  numbers  on  the  underside  of  spinach  leaves. 

May  10  the  adults  occurred  in  moderate  numbers  and  were  feeding  in  company 
with  Disonyeha  abbreviata  Melsh.  on  the  tender  foliage  of  Amaranthus  retroflexus  and 


32  SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 

A.  spinosus.  A  cluster  of  eggs  was  found  in  the  loose  soil  at  the  base  of  a  plant  of 
A /in i nui  thus  spinosus.  From  a  female  confined  at  this  date  the  following  record  was 
obtained: 

May  12,  eggs  deposited  to  the  number  of  49. 

May  16,  eggs  hatched. 

May  25,  larvas  burrowed  into  soil. 

May  27,  first  larvae  pupated. 

June  1,  first  adults  developed. 

June  2,  adults  left  cells. 

The  periods  were  as  follows:  Egg  stage,  4  days;  larval  stages,  11  days;  pupal  stage, 
5  days,  or  a  total  of  20  days  from  the  time  the  eggs  were  deposited  until  the  adults 
developed. 

The  female  which  was  confined  May  10  deposited  another  cluster  of  40  eggs  on 
May  14  and  died  May  20. 

METHODS  OF  CONTROL. 

The  remedies  to  be  observed  for  this  species  naturally  are  practi- 
cally the  same  as  for  the  related  spinach  flea-beetle.  These  consist 
in  applications  of  the  arsenicals,  either  arsenate  of  lead  or  Paris 
green,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  given  in  Circular  Xo.  87  on 
the  Colorado  potato  beetle.  In  addition  to  spraying  it  is  advisable 
to  keep  down  the  natural  food  plants  of  the  species,  especially  purs- 
lane and  chickweed,  and  to  spray  these  also,  as  well  as  the  beets  and 
spinach,  when  the  latter  are  affected. 


I".  s.  I>.    \  .  B.  B    Bui    82,  l';irt  l\'.  .  Ma>  20,  L910 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS, 


THE  LIFE  HISTORY  AND  CONTROL  OF  THE  HOP  FLEA- 
BEETLE.' 

(Psylliodes  punctulata  IVfelsh.) 

By    Wii.i.iam    B.   PABKl  i:. 
Collaborator. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  mosl  injurious  insect  attacking  the  hop  vinos  in  British 
Columbia  is  the  hop  flea-beetle  (Psylliodes  punctulata  Melsh.).  which 
is  widely  distributed  over  the  northern  part  of  the  United  State-  and 
extends  into  the  southern  part  of  Canada.  Although  this  beetle  feeds 
freely  upon  rhubarb,  sugar  beets,  and  certain  truck  plants,  it  was  nol 
known  a>  a  notably  serious  pest  until  a  few  years  a^o,  when  it  began 
its  depredations  in  the  hopyards  of  the  Chilliwack  and  the  Agassiz 
valleys  in  British  Columbia. 

ECONOMIC   IMPORTANCE. 

According  to  Mr.  H.  Hulbert.  Sardis.  British  Columbia,  the  hop 

flea-beetle  was  present  in  the  Chilliwack  Valley  when  he  began  to 
grow  hops  there  in  1894.     However,  it  made  no  perceptible  increase 

°  This  investigation  against  the  hop  flea-beetle  was  made  possible  througb  the 
good  offices  of  the  E.  Clemens  Horst  Hop  Company,  and  particularly  their 
general  manager.  Mr.  Theo.  Eder.  This  company  is  the  largest  grower  in  the 
section  concerned,  and  fully  appreciated  the  necessity  of  inaugurating  studies 
looking  to  the  control  of  the  insect.  At  the  request  of  this  company  Prof.  II.  J. 
Quayle,  of  the  California  experiment  station,  spent  some  time  in  the  infested 
section  in  the  summer  of  1908,  during  which  time  the  earlier  stages  of  the  insect 
were  first  made  known.  The  writer  began  work  under  his  direction  the  1st  of 
January,  1909.  and  continued  the  work  on  the  problem  until  the  following  fall, 
when  Mr.  Quayle  again  took  the  field,  closing  up  the  studies  at  the  time  of  the 
harvesting  of  the  hops. 

Note. — This  publication  is,  in  large  part,  supplementary  to  an  article  entitled 
"The  Hop  Flea-Beetle,"  issued  in  May.  1909.  as  Bulletin  No.  66,  Part  VI.  It  is 
necessarily  of  a  more  practical  nature,  and  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  be  of  great 
value  to  the  hop  growers  of  the  West,  and  that  it  will  also  have  some  value  to 
the  growers  of  sugar  beets  and  various  vegetables,  including  especially  rjfcol 
crops  grown  in  the  same  region. — /•'.  //.  Chittenden. 

33 


34 


SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 


ck 


and  did  very  little  damage  to  the  hop  vines  until  1903.  During  that 
spring  the  beetles  appeared  in  large  numbers  and  held  the  vines  back 
for  some  time,  but  by  the  persistent  use  of  tarred  boards  they 
were  kept  in  check  and  the  crop  saved.  During  the  seasons  of  1904- 
1908  the  beetles  gradually  increased  in  numbers,  reaching  their  maxi- 
mum destructiveness  in  1908. 

As  soon  as  the  hops  began  pushing  through  the  ground  the  beetles 
were  observed  swarming  around  the  vines,  giving  the  soil  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  a  black,  metallic  appearance.  These  swarms  of 
flea-beetles  devoured  the  hop  shoots  as  fast  as  they  appeared,  and  in 
places  where  the  vines  were  a  foot  or  more  on  the  string  the  attack 
was  so  severe  that  in  a  few  days  the  field  looked  as  if  it  had  been 
burned  over.     This  infestation  resulted  in  a  loss  of  about  To  per  cent 

of   the   crop    in   the   Chilliwack    and 

Agassiz  valleys. 

LIFE  HISTORY. 
THE   EGGS. 

Descriptive. — The  eggs  of  PsylTiodes 
punctulata  (fig.  8)  are  one-third  of 
a  millimeter  long,  about  one-half  as 
wide,  ellipto-cylindrical  in  shape,  and 
quite  yellow  in  color.  They  are  very 
hard  to  distinguish,  unless  in  clusters, 
without  the  aid  of  a  hand  lens,  and 
when  mixed  with  soil  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  find  them. 

Where  laid. — Beetles  which  were 
confined  in  lamp-chimney  breeding 
devices  were  observed  to  oviposit  upon  hop  leaves  and  pieces  of 
paper  and  upon  the  sides  and  bottoms  of  the  chimneys.  One  morn- 
ing, upon  moving  a  cage  which  had  a  cheese-cloth  base,  the  writer 
discovered  several  hundred  eggs  which  had  been  deposited  between 
the  cloth  and  the  table.  As  this  appeared  to  be  an  excellent  way  to 
obtain  eggs  in  large  numbers,  several  cages  were  accordingly  fitted 
up,  and  to  make  conditions  as  natural  as  possible,  were  placed  over 
moist  soil.  Hundreds  of  eggs  were  obtained  in  this  manner  and 
were  in  a  very  convenient  situation  for  handling.  In  order  to  obtain 
eggs  under  more  natural  conditions,  large  numbers  of  beetles  were 
confined  in  tin  cylinders  which  had  been  sunk  in  the  soil  inclosing 
the  roots  of  a  vine.  Two  weeks  later  when  the  soil  in  these  cylinders 
was  examined,  eggs  were  found  H  to  2  inches  below  the  surface.  A 
few  single  eggs  laid  in  the  field  were  observed  near  the  base  of  a 


Fig.  8.— The  hop  flea-beetle  (Psyl- 
liodcs  punctulata)  :  Eggs.  Greatly 
enlarged.      (Original.) 


I  li  I.    II  i>i  OBI     \M>  mini  i;m|.   mi     hi  -i-    i  i  i  \  B]  i  I  i.i  . 

vine  And  about    lj   inches  down   in   the  ~<>il.     Although  conditions 
such  as  the  Looseness  and   water  content   of  the  soil   maj   cau 
variation  in  the  *  1  <•  j  > 1 1 1 ,  and  the  Lack  of  cultivation,  in  the  distance 
that  they  are  placed  from  the  vine,  the  above  is  probably  the  average 
position  for  the  eggs  deposited  in  the  field. 

Arrangement, — Eggs  obtained  under  Laboratory  conditions  were 
deposited  both  singly  and  in  clusters  of  from  2  t<>  s.  but  with  do 
regular  arrangement.  All  the  eggs  which  were  observed  in  the  field 
were  found  one  in  a  place,  but  some  of  them  arc  probably  Laid  in 
clusters  under  natural  conditions. 

Conditions  favorabh  for  incubation, — The  eggs  which  were  found 
in  the  field  were  in  moist  soil,  and  those  which  were  kept  under  like 
conditions  in  the  laboratory  hatched  in  due  time.  On  the  other  hand, 
eggs  which  were  allowed  to  dry  soon  died  and  shriveled  up.  A 
moist,  warm  soil  appears  to  be  the  most  favorable  condition  for 
incubation. 

ThiK  of  incubation, — Several  hundred  eggs  which  were  obtained 
on  the  cheese  cloth  were  placed  in  black  satin  bags  and  buried  in 
moist  soil,  both  in  the  laboratory  and  in  the  hopyard.  The>e  egg- 
required  from  10  to  ±2  days  to  incubate;  those  in  the  field  hatched 
a  little  sooner  than  the  ones  in  the  laboratory.  This  difference  in 
time  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  soil  in  the  yard  was 
heated  by  direct  sun  rays,  while  that  in  the  laboratory  was  not. 

Hatching  process. — The  eggs  of  this  beetle  change  but  little  in 
general  appearance  during  the  first  thirteen  days  of  incubation. 
After  this  period  a  transparent  place  appears  near  one  end,  and  a 
few  days  before  hatching  this  spot  turns  dark.  In  emerging,  the 
larva  evidently  breaks  its  way  out  through  the  side  of  the  egg,  for  a 
longitudinal  slit  was  observed  in  all  empty  eggshells. 

THE   LARVA. 

Description. — When  it  first  emerges  from  the  egg  the  larva  is  a 
delicate,  slender,  white,  grublike  creature,  about  one-half  millimeter 
in  length.  After  a  few  hours  it  turns  gray,  the  head  darkens,  and  a 
dark  patch  appears  on  the  last  segment  of  the  abdomen.  The  larva 
(fig.  9.  a)  grows  slowly,  passing  through  several  molts,  and  when  full 
grown  is  about  5  millimeters  in  length  and  three-fourths  of  a  milli- 
meter in  diameter.  When  it  first  emerges  from  the  egg  it  is  very 
active  and  crawls  through  the  soil  at  a  rapid  rate,  but  as  it  grows 
this  activity  gradually  decreases,  and  when  the  last  stage  is  reached 
it  is  little  able  to  crawl  about. 

Length  of  larval  stage. — To  determine  the  length  of  the  larval  stage, 
many  beetles  were  confined  around  hop  vines,  in  an  uninfested  area, 
for  three  davs  and  were  then  removed.     When  observed  at  a  later 


36 


SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 


date  larvae  were  found  in  the  soil,  and  when  these  were  apparently 
ready  to  pupate  some  of  them  were  placed  in  vials  of  soil  and  ob- 
served  daily.  A  few  of  these  larvae  pupated  and  from  these  data  the 
length  of  larval  life  was  found  to  be  about  35  days.  This  time  checks 
up  very  well  with  the  other  observations  made  in  the  field. 

Pupation. — This  insect  does  not  form  a  distinct  pupal  cell,  a>  is 
the  case  with  some  other  coleopterous  larvae,  but  when  full  grown 
ceases  to  feed,  contracts  greatly  in  length,  and  enters  a  long  somnus, 
the  prepupal  stage.  The  larva  remains  in  this  stage  from  11  to  14 
days,  and  then  transforms  to  a  true  pupa  (fig.  9,  6,  c)  with  free 
appendages. 


Fig.  9. 


-The  hop  flea-beetle  :  a,  Larva  ;  b,  pupa,  ventral  view  ;  c,  pupa,  dorsal  view, 
enlarged.      (Original.) 


Much 


THE  PUPA. 

Description. — When  the  pupa  is  formed  it  is  pearly  white  in  color 
and  is  much  like  the  adult  beetle  in  form.  The  sheaths  for  the  adult 
appendages  are  free  from  the  body,  and  the  legs,  wing-pads,  and  an- 
tennae, although  folded  up,  may  be  easily  distinguished.  The  pupa 
of  this  flea-beetle  is  not  very  delicate,  as  was  shown  by  the  fact  that 
a  number  of  them  were  removed  from  the  soil  for  daily  examination 
during  a  period  of  eight  days,  without  injury. 

Duration  of  stage  and  transformation  to  adult. — The  true  pupal 
stage  lasts  on  an  average  16^  days.  The  first  evidence  of  transforma- 
tion is  the  appearance  of  color  in  the  eyes;  then  gradually  the  mandi- 
bles, tibial  joints,  and  antenna?  become  dark  in  color,  the  legs  turn 
light  brown,  and  the  elytra  move  to  the  back.  When  this  condition 
is  reached  the  beetle  is  able  to  crawl  about.     It  does  not  get  out  of 


LIFE    lllsl  n\[\     \M'    «  ON  l  KOL    OF    IKU'    I  i.i   \   1:1 .1.  I  1. 1.. 


37 


Fig.  10. — The  hop  flea-beetle:  Adult  beetles,  Bbowlng 
relative  sizes  of  female  and  male.  The  male  has  the 
wing  covers  slightly  spread.    Much  enlarged.  (Original.) 


the  soil,  however,  until  the  head,  thorax,  and  elytra  have  colored, 

which  requires  from   L2  i<>  I  I  hours.     The  beetle  u  then  of  a  « 1  ■  1 1 1 

blue-black    color,    but 

after   it    has   been    In 

the  sunlight  for  a  few 

days  it    becomes  quite 

bronzy  in  appearance. 

THE    ADULT. 

The  adult   is  a  dark. 

smooth,   bronzy-black 

hectic    of   the    family 

Chrysomelidse,  one- 
twelfth    to    one-tenth 

of  an  inch  (1.5  to  2.5 

mm.)    long  and  about 

half     as     wide.      The 

male    and    female    are 

alike  in  general  ap- 
pearance except   as  to 

size,  the  male  being  distinctly  smaller  than  the  female  (see  fig.  10). 

The  hind  thighs,  by  means  of  which  the  beetle  jumps,  are  strongly 

developed,  hence  the 
name  "  flea-beetle. " 
The  specific  name 
punctulata  refers  to 
the  punctulate  or 
pitted  condition  of 
the  head,  thorax, 
and  elytra.  This 
beetle  should  not  be 
confused  with  Epi- 
trix  subcrinita  Lee, 
sometimes  collected 
with  the  hop  flea- 
beetle  on  potatoes, 
which,  although 
much  like  Ps.  punc- 
tulata in  general 
appearance  and  in 
the  possession  of  the 

punctulate  condition  of  the  thorax  and  elytra,  is  smaller  and  is 
i  covered  with  hairs. 


Fig.  n. 


-The  hop  flea-beetle  :  Ovipositor  of  female, 
magnified.      (Original.) 


Highly 


38 


SOME    INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 


Time  of  reaching  maturity. — After  the  adult  has  emerged  from 
the  pupal  state  between  12  and  24  hours  are  required  for  coloring 
and.  perhaps,  as  much  longer  for  it  to  work  its  way  out  of  the  soil. 
^Beetles  which  appeared  to  be  not  over  4  days  old  were  found  in 
copula  and,  judging  from  these  very  unsatisfactory  data,  about  6 
days  would  be  required  for  the  beetles  to  become  fully  mature. 

Copulation. — Copulation  was  observed  at  all  times  of  the  day  and 
even  at  night.  Morning  seems  to  be  preferred,  for  more  pairs  were 
observed  between  8  and  12  o'clock  than  in  the  afternoon.  Although 
some  remained  together  but  a  short  time,  others  required  three- 
fourths  of  an  hour,  and  one  pair  which  was  closely  watched  took  50 
minutes  for  the  operation.  As  long  as  there  were  beetles  in  the 
field  pairs  were  to  be  found,  and  Mr.  Hulbert  states  that  he  has 
observed  them  in  copula  up  to  the  time  that  they  went  into  hiberna- 
tion in  the  fall. 

0  imposition. — When  ready  to  oviposit,  the  female  works  her  way 
down  into  the  soil  until  she  reaches  the  moist  layer,  where  she  lays 
her  quota  of  eggs.  Although  this  operation  of  egg-laying  was  not 
observed,  the  fact  that  the  eggs  were  deposited  through  cheese  cloth 
and  even  light  cotton  cloth  leads  the  writer  to  believe  that  the  long 
ovipositor  (fig.  11)  is  worked  into  the  firm  soil  before  oviposition. 
The  eggs  would  thus  be  concealed  to  some  extent  from  predaceous 
enemies. 

Number  of  eggs  and  rate  of  egg-laying. — Beetles  captured  in 
copula  and  confined  in  vials  laid  from  4  to  18  eggs.  Three  pairs 
copulated  again  after  ovipositing,  but  only  one  female  laid  eggs 
after  this  second  copulation.  Table  I  illustrates  the  number  and  rate 
of  egg-laying  as  indicated  by  beetles  kept  under  laboratory  condi- 
tions : 


Table  I. — X umber  of  eggs  and  rate  of  egg-laying  of  the  hop  flea-beetle. 


Adult 

No. 

Dates  of  copulation. 

Dates  first  eggs 
were  laid. 

Number 

first  eggs 

laid. 

Dates  second 
eggs  Avere  laid. 

Number 
second 

eggs  laid. 

Death. 

1 

1909. 
April  22  and  May  2 

1909. 

13 
6 
2 

11 

11 

1 

14 

9 

18 

10 

4 

1909. 
May  3 

5 

1909. 
(a) 

2 

May  10 

Mav  20. 

3 

June  4 

June  8 

June  9 

10 

June  19. 

4 

June  14. 

5 

do 

...do 

June  16. 

6 

June  4 

do 

June  9 

7 

June  19. 

7 

do 

do 

June  15. 

8 

do... 

June  16. 

9 

do 

do 

June  15. 

10 

do 

June  12 

■ 

J  une  16. 

11 

...do 

do 

June  19. 

1 

Lost. 


Length  of  life  of  the  beetle. — The  length  of  life  of  the  hop  flea- 
beetle  is  quite  variable.     Several  lots  of  newly  emerged  insects  which 


LIFE    ll  IS  1 1 » 1 :  N     \  N  i»   < '( »N  I  l«  »i     (>]     nor    !  I  i   \   1:1  ;|   I  1.1.. 


were  brought  into  ill*'  laboratory  died  within  a  week.  Another  lot, 
brought  in  May  ll  and  placed  in  a  lamp  chimney,  lived  well  i n t < > 
July,  tin'  last  individual  surviving  until  A.ugus!  22.  Thi  was  an 
exceptional  case,  the  average  length  of  life  being  between  three  and 
six  weeks. 

HABITS. 


THE    I.  \i:\  \. 

When  found. — Most  of  the  larvae  were  observed  to  be  within  L8 
inches  of  the  base  of  tin*  vine,  the  number  increasing  as  the  vine  was 
approached.  A  few, 
however,  were  taken 
between  the  rows, 
among  the  roots  of 
chickweed  and  Lambs- 
quarters,  and  even  in 
well  cultivated  parts 
where  no  weeds  were 
growing.  The  surface 
soil  of  the  hopyards  is 
filled  with  delicate 
rootlets  (fig.  12)  and 
the  larva4  find  sufficient 
food   almost   anywhere. 

Depth  in  soil. — In 
order  to  determine  the 
average  depth  at  which 
the  younger  stages  may 
be  found,  the  earth 
was    taken    up    around 

the    base    of    a    vilie    in      ^lG-   *-• — Filamentous   roots  of  hop   vine  on   which   the 
0  .      ,      ,  _      .  hop  flea-heoth.'  larvae  feed.     (Original.) 

o-mch   layers,   and   the 

larvae  in  each  layer  counted.     The  results  are  as  follows: 

No.  of  larvae 
Depth  ot  soil.  found. 

1-3     inches 6 

3-6     inches 21 

6-9     inches 7 

9-12  inches 1 

Although  some  few  may  be  found  above  and  some  below,  from  2 
to  7  inches  is  the  depth  at  which  one  may  expect  to  find  the  majority 
of  the  larvae. 

Conditions'  favorable. — The  soil  in  which  the  larvae  were  found 
varied  from  a  light  sandy  loam  to  a  very  heavy,  almost  adobe  condi- 


tion. 


66513°— Bull.  82— 1: 


40 


SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 


. 


The  moisture  conditions  which  are  favorable  were  determined  in 
the  laboratory.  The  larva}  lived  in  soil  that  was  quite  wet,  but  when 
it  was  saturated  they  were  drowned.  On  the  other  hand,  a  slightly 
moist  soil  seemed  most  favorable,  and  when  it  dried  out  they  soon 
died.  Any  soil  with  a  moderate  moisture  content  appears  to  be  favor- 
able for  the  growth  of  the  larvae,  the  texture  having  no  influence 
whatever  upon  them. 

Food. — The  majority  of  larva?  are  located  close  around  the  hop 
vine  where  the  soil  is  filled  with  tender  filamentous  roots  (fig.  12). 
A  few,  however,  were  found  around  the  roots  of  lambs-quarters, 
chickweed,  and  mangel.  All  of  these  tender  rootlets,  and  perhaps 
many  others,  are  fed  upon  by  the  larvae. 


THE   ADULT. 


Food  plants. — The  hop  flea-beetle  has  been  observed  feeding  upon  a 
large  number  of  plants.  Some  of  these  are  distinctly  preferred; 
others  are  accepted  after  the  beetles  have  fed  upon  the  hop  or  mangel ; 
and  still  others  are  attacked  in  the  field,  but  not  after  the  insects 
have  eaten  of  their  preferred  food  plants. 

A  series  of  experiments  was  conducted  to  determine  which  plants 
were  preferred  and  their  order  of  preference.  Beetles  were  confined 
on  several  species  of  plants,  and  each  day  when  fresh  food  was  sup- 
plied the  species  which  was  eaten  the  most  was  left  out.  Thus  by 
elimination  the  order  of  preference  was  obtained.  This  order  for 
beetles  captured  on  the  hop  was  found  to  be  quite  different  from  that 
for  beetles  captured  on  the  mangels,  as  is  shown  by  the  following 
list : 

Table  II. — Food  plants  of  the  hop  flea-beetle. 


In  order  of  preference  of  beetles  taken  from 
the  hop. 

Hop    (Humulus  lupulus  L.). 

Nettle   (Urtica  dioica  L.). 

Tomato  (Ly  coper  sicum  esculentum 
Mill.). 

Mangel   {Beta  vulgaris  Moq.). 

Radish    (Raphanus  sativus  L.). 

Mustard  (Brassica  nigra  L.). 

Lambs-quarters  (Chenopodium  al- 
bum L.). 

Watermelon  ( Citrullus  vulgaris 
Schrad.) 


In  order  of  preference  of  beetles  taken  from 
the  mangel. 

Nettle  (Urtica  dioica  L.). 

Rhubarb    (Rheum  officinale   Baill.). 

Radish   (Raphanus  sativus  L.). 

Mustard  (Brassica  nigra  L.). 

Lambs-quarters  (Chenopodium  al- 
lium L.). 

Mangel   (Beta  vulgaris  Moq.). 

Hop    (Humulus   lupulus   L.). 

Watermelon  ( Citrullus  vulgaris 
Schrad.). 


I. li  I.    HI81  OBI     \\i>   COm  ROL   "I     HOP    I  LE  \  Bl  i.  i  LE.  1  1 

Sl   (   ll\  |l     t    I     \s.s." 

Rhubarb  {Rheum  officinale  Baill.).  Tomato  {Lycopertieum  etculentum 
Potato  {Bolanum  tuberosum  L.),  Mill.). 

Pigweed  i  Vmaranthus  retroftewut  L.).  Potato  {Solatium  tuberosum  L.). 

Dock  Uiiiim  i  obtusifolius  l.i.  Pigweed   <  \  mui mith us  retrofit  i  <'  i  i.  ». 

Sorrel    (fiitmoc  acetocella   L.).  Red  clover  (TW/oMimh  praten*<    I.  I. 

Red  clover  < '/'/  ifuiiiim  pratensi    L.).  Dock   (Riimeaj  obtusifoliut   L.). 

Sorrel   I  Rum<  r  acetoi  <  lla  I ..  | . 

Finding  that  the  beetles  did  not  care  for  certain  plant-  after  they 

had  fed  upon  hop  or  mangel,  an  attempt  was  made  i<>  starve  them 
to  the  food  which  was  apparently  most  disliked.  A  Large  number  of 
beetles  were  accordingly  confined  with  red  and  white  clover  and  with 
sorrel.     Although  the  blossoms  of  the  white  clover  were  slightly 

attacked,  the  hectics  finally  starved  to  death  on  these  plants. 
Portions  of  plants  attacked. — During  the  spring  and  early  summer 

the  beetles  fed  upon  the  shoots  and  tender  buds  and  ate  holes  the  size 
of  a  pin  head  in  the  leaves.  (See  Plate  III.)  In  cases  where  the 
leaves  were  very  thick  the  lower  surface  tissues  were  left.  These, 
however,  soon  dried  and  fell  out,  leaving  a  clean  hole  which,  as  the 
leaf  expanded,  became  larger,  sometimes  reaching  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  in  diameter.  In  feeding  upon  the  hop  plants,  the  beetles  dug 
small  pits  in  the  shoots,  which  when  the  attack  was  severe  caused  the 
death  of  the  stem.  In  the  fall  the  beetles  climb  the  trellis  poles  and 
crawl  along  the  vines  until  they  reach  the  hop  cones,  of  which  they 
are  very  fond. 

Destructive  power  by  feeding. — When  the  beetles  appear  in  large 
numbers  they  will  devour  a  plant  completely.  In  the  spring  of  L908 
they  kept  the  yards  bare  until  the  last  of  June  or  the  first  of  July,  and 
when  the  mangels  were  coming  up  the  beetles  damaged  them  so 
severely  that  one  planter  found  it  necessary  to  sow  three  times  in 
order  to  get  a  stand.  In  the  fall,  after  the  hopyards  were  cleaned  up, 
the  beetles  migrated  to  the  nettles  along  the  fences  and  completely 
devoured  them.  The  beetles  were  at  this  time  in  exceptionally  large 
numbers;  under  ordinary  conditions  their  attack  is  not  so  severe. 

Activity  and  migrations. — The  flea-beetles  that  have  just  emerged 
are  soft  and  sluggish  and  are  readily  picked  off  of  the  vines  with  the 
fingers.  Within  a  few  days,  however,  they  become  very  active  and  it 
is  then  almost  impossible  to  catch  them  in  the  hand.  During  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1909  the  beetle^  migrated  little,  if  at  all.  The 
infested  regions  did  not  enlarge  or  change  from  the  time  that  the 
beetles  appeared  in  the  spring  until  they  disappeared  in  July.     The 

°  Plants  of  the  second  class  are  eaten  very  slightly,  unless  the  beetles  are 
starved  to  them. 


42  SOME    INSECTS    INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

insects  were  not  observed  to  leave  the  vines  unless  disturbed,  and  the 
probability  is  that  unless  the  food  gives  out  they  do  not  migrate  dur- 
ing thi-  season.  It  has  been  repeatedly  observed  by  the  hop  growers 
of  Chilliwack  and  Agassiz  valleys  that  yards  which  were  badly  in- 
fested one  summer  would  be  almost  free  from  beetles  the  next,  while 
the  adjoining  yards  which  were  not  attacked  the  preceding  season 
would  be  severely  damaged.  One  explanation  of  this  is  that  the 
beetles,  having  eaten  up  all  the  food  remaining  in  the  yards  after  the 
vines  have  been  burned,  migrate  to  the  adjoining  block,  hibernate 
there,  and  emerge  in  the  spring.  As  the  beetles  were  not  observed 
moving  about  during  the  spring  and  summer  this  is  the  only  prob- 
able time  of  migration. 

Activities  at  night. — The  beetles  go  into  the  bud  scales  or  down 
under  the  clods  at  the  base  of  the  vine  on  cold  nights,  but  when  mild 
weather  approaches  they  remain  on  the  leaves.  They  were  observed 
to  move  about  slightly,  but  are  very  much  less  active  than  during  the 
day. 

Flight. — When  disturbed  during  warm  weather  the  beetles  occa- 
sionally spread  their  wings  as  they  jump,  and  fly  back  to  about  the 
same  place  they  started  from.  General  flight  is  seldom  indulged  in.  but 
during  the  last  of  April  those  which  were  disturbed  by  the  Bordeaux 
spray  circled  around  at  an  elevation  of  about  4  feet  for  a  few  minute-, 
then  settled  down.  This  was  the  only  time  when  beetles  were  observed 
on  the  wing. 

Protection  by  concealment. — On  cold  spring  days  some  of  the  beetles 
crawl  down  into  the  opening  buds  of  the  hop  or  nettle.  Here  they  are 
protected  from  the  weather  and  may  feed  upon  the  tender  buds  which 
are  their  choicest  food.  When  the  leaves  have  expanded  beetles  will 
be  found  on  the  under  surface,  and  in  very  cold  weather  under  the 
clods  at  the  base  of  the  vine.  Although  some  are  thus  concealed  dur- 
ing the  active  season,  the  majority  remain  on  the  upper  surface  of  the 
leaves. 

Protection  by  locomotion. — When  disturbed  the  beetles  jump  from 
the  vine  and  fall  among  clods  or  rubbish  where  they  are  not  readily 
seen.  They  do  not  feign  death  as  some  other  beetles  do,  but  spread 
out  their  legs,  right  themselves,  and  after  a  short  pause,  begin  slowly 
to  move  about.  The  distance  that  they  jump  depends  somewhat  upon 
the  height  from  which  they  start.  Horizontally  they  can  leap  about 
a  foot  and  a  half,  and  about  10  inches  in  a  vertical  direction. 

SEASONAL   HISTORY. 
LENGTH  OF  LIFE  CYCLES. 

Judging  from  observations  on  the  appearance  of  beetles  in  the 
field,  the  lengths  of  the  life  cycles  of  the  spring  and  summer  genera- 


n   in. 


• 

bhpc.''  /^-t  ^.i >  .i\^.c'  ■  ^^r  *•     v^^i 

< 

■1   ~      •    '.    «n  'J 

l- 

MrSm     

•*•   •  r  .  B. 

fcv  ,"■11 

iti^jiB 

■r.  . ;-  /<  'Jm 

fc^.Vv". 

&f*V  1  "'■ 

[T(       '^'>-2  /        1 

Hop  Leaves,  Showing  Effect  of  Attack  by  the  Hop  Flea- 
Beetle   (PSYLLIODES  PUNCTULATA).      (ORIGINAL.  > 


ill  I.    II  [fi  i  OBI     \M»   I  «»\  I  BOL   01     ii'  'l*    I  li  \  BEE  I  i.i  .  l.'i 

tions  are  about  equal.  In  order  t«»  obtain  the  entire  life  cvcle,  the 
6  days1  interim  between  the  emergence  of  the  beetles  as  adults  and 
copulation,  and  al-<>  the  6  days  required  for  the  egg*  to  mature,  must 
hi*  added  to  the  72  days  which  are  passed  in  the  egg,  larval,  and  pupa] 
stages.  In  adding  these,  we  have  sl  days,  or  L2  weeks,  as  the  length 
of  the  li  fe  cycle. 

\  i   IfBER    and   TIME   OF    APP1  \i:w«  I     OF    BROODS. 

There  are  two  distinct  broods  of  beetles  in  the  Chilliwack  and 
Agassiz  valleys.  One  emerges  in  the  early  spring  and  the  other  in 
the  latter  part  of  July  or  the  first  part  of  August, 

The  first  generation  appeared  very  suddenly  and  in  large  numbers 
between  April  25  and  May  10.  The  appearance  and  devastation  in 
the  Agassiz  yard  was  particularly  startling.  On  April  24  the  vines 
in  this  yard  were  almost  ready  to  train  onto  the  string  and  were  only 
slightly  damaged  by  the  beetle-.  April  28  this  yard  was  literally 
alive  with  the  "fleas."  in  some  places  there  being  as  many  as  50  or 
60  to  the  vine.  The  leaves  were  entirely  eaten  away  and  many  of 
the  terminal  buds  were  killed.  Although  this  did  not  ruin  the  shoot, 
it  caused  a  very  undesirable  branching.  Beetles  continued  to  emerge 
at  Chilliwack  in  large  numbers  until  about  May  10.  after  which  only 
a  few  belated  individuals  came  out. 

The  first  and  second  generations  are  very  distinct.  The  first  brood 
was  in  it-  maximum  numbers  about  the  1st  of  June,  but  after  this 
the  insects  gradually  diminished  and  had  entirely  disappeared  by 
July  20.  The  second  generation  began  to  emerge  about  the  25th  of 
that  month,  but  were  not  present  in  large  numbers  until  about 
August  10.  These  beetles  live  through  the  fall  and  winter,  emerge 
in  the  spring,  and  deposit  the  eggs  which  produce  the  first  generation 
of  the  next  season. 

MULTIPLICATION. 

According  to  observations  made  upon  the  number  of  eggs  and  rate 
of  egg  laying,  the  maximum  number  of  individuals  coming  from  a 
single  pair  in  the  first  generation  would  be  18.  If  all  of  these  sur- 
vived and  produced  the  maximum  number  again,  the  second  gen- 
eration would  amount  to  162  beetles.  The  average  number  of  eggs 
laid  may  be  below  18,  and  a  large  number  of  larvae  are  destroyed  by 
predaceous  enemies  in  the  soil,  so  that  the  few  beetles  which  winter 
over  will  not  necessarily  produce  an  overwhelming  number  in  the 
second  generation. 

HIBERNATION. 

ENTRANCE    INTO    HIBERNATION. 

When  cool  weather  comes  in  the  fall  the  beetles  begin  to  hibernate. 
They  do  not  travel  far  from  where  they  chance  to  be,  but  enter  the 


44  SOME    [NSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

first  favorable  place  that  they  find.  This  early  hibernation  is  usually 
temporary,  and  when  the  first  warm  day  comes  they  emerge  from 
their  hibernating  places  and  hop  around  on  the  ground,  retreating 
again  when  it  becomes  cool. 

PLACES    OF    HIBERNATION. 

During  the  winter  the  beetles  were  observed  hibernating  in  cracks 
in  the  trellis  poles,  under  the  string  of  the  string  pegs,  in  the  hollow 
vine  stubs,  in  the  grass  and  weeds,  and  in  the  soil. 

Beetles  in  poles. — The  beetles  were  first  observed  to  be  hibernating 
in  the  trellis  poles.  By  lifting  the  slivers  they  were  found  wedged 
between  the  slivers  and  the  solid  wood,  some  were  dug  from  rotten, 
porous  portions  of  the  poles,  and  a  few  were  observed  under  the  bark. 
Many  were  found  in  the  deep  cracks,  but  the  largest  number  were 
under  the  slivers  and  in  the  rotten  wood.  As  shown  by  Table  III 
the  majority  of  beetles  hibernated  close  to  the  ground.  They  ac- 
cepted the  first  shelter  that  they  "came  to,  and  some  even  entered 
slivers  and  crawled  down  below  the  surface  of  the  soil. 

Table  III. — Position  of  hop  flea-beetles  in   the  poles. 

First  foot 182 

Second  foot 152 

Third  foot 79 

Fourth  foot 33 

Fifth  foot 4 

Sixth  foot 6 

Seventh  foot 0 

Total  number  of  flea-beetles 456 

Number  of  poles  counted 74 

Average  number  of  beetles  per  pole 6.16 

In  November.  1908,  several  poles  were  taken  into  the  hop  kilns  and 
heated  in  order  to  bring  out  the  beetles  that  were  hibernating 
therein.  Most  of  the  poles  contained  small  numbers  of  them,  but  in 
one  badly  splintered  pole  were  found  490  beetles.  These  results 
led  the  hop  growers  to  believe  that  a  large  majority  of  the  hibernat- 
ing beetles  were  in  the  poles.  In  investigating  this  point  the  writer 
had  four  average  poles  taken  into  the  kilns  and  heated.  Only  19 
beetles  were  found  in  these  4  poles.  These,  together  with  other 
results  obtained  from  extensive  field  counts,  proved  conclusively  that 
the  number  of  beetles  which  were  hibernating  in  the  trellis  poles 
was  not  dangerously  large. 

Beetles  in  the  vine  stubs. — The  hollow  vine  stubs  which  are  left 
when  the  vines  are  cut  and  burned  in  the  fall  are  very  favorable 
hibernating  places,  and  as  many  as  16  beetles  have  been  found  in  a 


LIFE    II  is  I  <>i;\      \  \|.    CON  I  i:<U     I  T    IMP    III   \    M  I    I  II 


15 


.^  i  1 1  *_r  1  *  -  stub.     Many  -ml)-  do  not  contain  beetles,  however,  and  the 
average  is  7ery  much  lower.    A  i\-w  beetles  were  found  in  ili«-  cracks 

of  the  pith  of  pigweed  and  in  some  hollo*  stemi I  plants,  l>ut  the 

most  frequented  place  of  this  sort  is  the  hollo*  nne  stub.    Table  IV 
illustrates  tin4  number  and  condition  of  the  beetles  in  tin-  stub 

Tabu    IV.     Vumber  and  condition  of  hop  //.  n  i»  <  n,  ■<  taken   '"<///    i 


Number 

Of  Sllllts. 

per  kiln. 

Average 
number  >>i 

hectics 
per  acre. 

Number    Number 
of  beetles  <>f  beetles 

(lend.           alive. 

1'er  cent 

dead. 

lllhe. 

L900. 

February  l 

Do 

219 

320 
340 
824 
880 
167 
161 
241 
288 
283 
155 

10.01 
216             7.32 

8,908.90 
7,517.  17 

February  I 

lis          He 
97             248 

61                  7  J 
292              vji 

IOC.             225 

137 

108 

114                209 

118               174 

■  - 

1.'..  86 

32.02 
12.20 

40.41 

February  10 

February  20 

Do.. 



265             2.81 

93               .88 

•     133            1.23 

B18            7.08 

833 

327              5. 40 
397             5. 48 
823            5.56 
292             7. 42 

2,057.90 

783.20 

1,094.70 

6,301.20 

I.S06.00 
4,877.20 
4,9lv  10 
6, 603. 80 

70.  l'.' 
54.  1  1 

March  1 

64.  12 

March  s   . 

March  9 

March  10 

March  16 

til.  71 

Do 

Beetles  in  string  pegs. — The  cedar  pegs  which  are  used  in  stringing 
the  yards  are  usually  left  in  the  field  when  the  yards  are  cleaned  up 
in  the  fall.  The  soft  string  which  often  remains  on  the  peg  affords  a 
splendid  place  for  the  beetles  to  spend  the  winter,  and  many  were 
obseryed  taking  adyantage  of  it. 

Beetles  in  gj'ass  and  weeds. — In  the  grass  and  weeds  of  uncultivated 
yards  and  along  the  borders  of  other  yards  the  beetles  were  found 
hibernating  in  considerable  numbers.  They  were  situated  just  under 
the  surface  of  the  soil,  but  above  the  crown  of  the  roots.  They  prob- 
ably seek  the  grass  and  weeds  as  a  temporary  refuge  when  the  cold 
weather  first  sets  in,  and  as  the  winter  advances  they  either  crawl 
down  into  the  soil  or  it  is  washed  over  them  by  the  early  rains. 

Beetles  in  the  bare  soil. — Many  beetles  were  found  around  the  poles 
and  vines  embedded  in  the  bare  soil.  In  one  strip  of  soil  3  inches  wide 
surrounding  a  trellis  pole,  31  beetles  were  found:  many  were  ob- 
served in  the  soil  around  the  base  of  the  vines  and  a  few  between  the 
rows.  They  did  not  penetrate  very  far  into  the  firm  soil,  the  majority 
being  found  within  the  first  half  inch,  but  where  the  land  was  in  the 
form  of  loose  clods  at  the  time  that  the  beetles  entered  they  crawled 
as  far  down  as  the  openings  went,  and  the  rain,  packing  the  soil  over 
them,  housed  them  2  and  even  3  inches  below  the  surface. 

Method  of  finding  beetles  in  the  soil. — Since  the  beetles  are  very 
small  and  dark  in  color  they  are  very  similar  to  the  particles  of  soil  in 
which  they  are  embedded,  and  to  find  them  by  digging  around  the 
roots  of  the  grass  is  almost  impossible.     An  attempt  was  made  to 


46 


SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS    TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 


screen  them  out  by  washing  the  soil  through  cheese  cloth.  This  was 
quite  possible,  but  very  slow,  and  while  screening  them  out  the  writer 
observed  the  beetles  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  This  dis- 
covery suggested  a  very  simple  method  of  separating  them.  The 
soil  was  placed  in  a  screen-wire  box  and  washed  in  a  pail  of  water. 
This  broke  up  all  lumps,  and  the  beetles  floating  to  the  top  were 
picked  up  with  a  pair  of  forceps. 


EMERGENCE   FROM    HIBERNATION. 


Artificial  emergence. — In  anticipation  of  the  emergence  of  the 
hibernating  beetles  some  experiments  were  conducted  to  determine 
the  temperature  at  which  they  might  be  expected  to  appear  and  -their 
actions  when  forced  from  their  natural  winter  quarters.  Beetles 
taken  from  frozen  string-pegs  were  placed  in  lantern  chimneys  and 
beginning  with  28°  F.  the  temperature  was  gradually  raised  and  the 
actions  of  the  beetles  noted.  At  40°  the  antennae  began  to  move 
slightly:  between  40°  and  50°  the  beetles  moved  about  slowly  and  if 
disturbed  would  jump  a  short  distance.  Between  55°  and  60°  the 
beetles  were  quite  active  and  crawled  around  in  the  lantern  chimney. 
Their  activity  increased  as  the  temperature  was  raised  until  105° 
was  reached,  at  which  point  they  gradually  became  inactive  again. 
Table  V  illustrates  the  effect  of  temperature  upon  the  beetles,  begin- 
ning with  that  of  the  room  and  increasing  to  146°.  In  this  experi- 
ment the  beetles  were  confined  in  a  double  tube  with  an  air  space  be- 
tween and  the  temperature  was  raised  gradually. 

Table  V. — Emergence  and  activity  of  the  hop  flea-beetle  in  artificial  temperatures. 


Date. 


1909 

Marchl2 

Marchl 

Do 

Do 

Do 

April  12 

Do 

Do 


Number 
of  in- 
sects. 


Room       tureP??"  Great.e?t       First 

?m°era-     duced      «S"*  dead  at- 

to—  ai— 


tempera- 
ture 


°F. 


°F. 
56 
56  | 
56 
56 
58 
56 
56 
57 


°F. 

90 

90-100 

90-100 

98-100 

90-100 

60-70 

80-90 


Last 
dead  at- 


F. 


90 
110 
114 
95 
78 
90 
110 


Time  of 
experi- 


140 
146 
126 
138 
139 
110 
148 


Minutes. 

15 
15 
10 
20 
20 
5 
25 


THien  beetles  were  thawed  out  they  all  became  active  between  40~ 
and  45°  F.  When  the  higher  temperatures  were  reached,  however, 
there  was  a  considerable  difference  in  their  susceptibilities  to  the 
change  as  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  Table  V.  Some  of  the  beetles 
which  were  forced  from  hibernation  were  placed,  on  January  27.  in  a 
cage  containing  a  young  nettle  plant.     On  February  8  several  holes 


in  i     HIS  rOBl     I  M'  COM  i  ROL  OF    HOP    I  LEA  BBE1  LB.  1  . 

the  size  of  ;i  pin  head  were  observed  in  the  nettle  leave*  and  these 
hectic-  continued  to  feed  until  spring.  The  majority  <>f  the  beetles 
were  active  whenever  the  cage  was  in  the  light  and  the  temperature 
above  50  .  They  became  inactive  only  when  darkness  approached  or 
the  temperature  fell  belo^  10  .  The  beetles  were  do(  observed  to 
seek  hibernating  places  when  artificially  emerged,  unless  conditions 
were  unfavorable  to  activity.  When  put  in  a  cool,  dark  place  many 
of  tin*  beetles  entered  hollow  vine  stubs  and  pieces  of  corrugated 
paper  which  were  placed  in  the  cage  for  this  purpose.  Some,  how- 
ever, were  content  with  the  cloth  top  and  the  glass  sides  of  the 
for  a  hibernating  place. 

Natural  emergence,— On  March  (.>  four  beetles  were  seen  crawling 
around  on  the  sunny  side  of  a  trellis  pole.  These  were  the  firsl  that 
were  observed  emerging  in  the  held.  When  warm  days  became 
more  frequent  the  beetle-  appeared  in  numbers  and  fed  upon  the 
young  nettles.  They  were  very  active  and  were  observed  copulating 
during  the  warmer  part  of  the  day.  but  when  evening  came  they 
disappeared  from  view  and  did  not  come  out  again  until  the  frost 
was  all  melted  the  following  morning.  Although  some  beetles 
emerged  during  the  warmer  days  of  March,  the  maximum  number 
did  not  appear  until  April  15.  After  this  they  gradually  diminished 
in  numbers  and  by  the  10th  of  May  had  nearly  all  disappeared. 

DISEASES. 
FUNGOUS  DISEASES. 

Many  of  the  beetles  that  were  found  dead  in  the  hollow  vine-stubs 
were  covered  with  a  white  mycelium.  When  these  beetles  were 
placed  in  a  moist  chamber  Penicillium  glaucum  and  the  hop-mold 
Sphcerotheea  castagnei  developed. 

No  other  fungous  growths  were  observed  by  the  writer,  but  Dr. 
C.  S.  McKee,  of  Vancouver,  British  Columbia,  in  a  letter  regarding 
some  of  his  experiments  with  the  hop  flea-beetle,  mentions  a  fungous 
disease  in  the  following  words:  "  Before  they  began  to  die  they  were 
distinctly  less  active,  and  even  before  death  some  of  them  could  be 
seen  to  have  a  fungous  or  mouldy  growth  on  them,  particularly  under 
the  wings."  Doctor  McKee  does  not  state  what  this  fungus  was.  and 
it  is  quite  possible  that  it  was  a  Penicillium.  as  was  found  on  the 
beetles  in  the  field.  Although  Penicillium  is  known,  under  some 
circumstances,  to  become  parasitic,  the  probability  is  that  the  bee- 
tles died  from  some  other  cause  and  that  the  fungus  entered  as  a 
saprophyte. 


48  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

BACTERIAL  DISEASES. 

Beetles  which  were  brought  into  the  laboratory  between  the  10th 
and  14th  of  June  died  off  in  large  numbers.  They  had  a  very  sour 
odor  about  them  which  was  not  noticed  around  beetles  which  died 
earlier  in  the  spring.  This  great  mortality,  accompanied  by  the  sour 
odor,  indicates  the  possible  existence  of  a  bacterial  disease.  An 
endeavor  was  made  to  determine  this  point,  but  the  beetles  in  the 
check  cages  died  as  rapidly  as  those  which  were  exposed  to  infection, 
and  no  conclusion  could  be  drawn. 

PARASITES  AND  PREDACEOUS  ENEMIES. 

Xo  parasites  attacked  the  beetles  during  the  spring  generation, 
and  none  has  so  far  been  observed  on  beetles  in  British  Columbia. 

Although  the  adults  have  no  known  predatory  enemies,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  some  birds,  the  younger  stages,  especially  the 
larvae,  are  subject  to  the  attack  of  several  creatures.  The  larva  of 
one  of  the  Carabiclae  was  quite  plentiful  in  the  soil,  and  under 
laboratory  conditions  was  observed  to  feed  voraciously  upon  the  flea- 
beetle  larvae.  Two  species  of  centipedes  were  also  numerous,  but  only 
one  was  observed  feeding  upon  the  larvae.  This  species  was  very 
common  in  the  hopyards  and  probably  destroyed  a  large  number  of 
beetle  larvae. 

CONTROL  MEASURES. 

The  fact  that  the  beetles  hibernate  in  the  soil  as  well  as  in  the  poles, 
vine-stubs,  and  string-pegs,  that  the  younger  stages  are  all  passed 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  that,  when  they  emerge,  the  adults 
are  not  readily  killed  by  arsenicals  or  by  contact  insecticides,  made 
the  control  problem  at  first  appear  to  be  a  difficult  one.  During  the 
spring  and  summer  every  feasible  method  of  control  was  carefully 
tested,  and  of  the  following  measures  the  application  of  tanglefoot 
and,  under  some  conditions,  the  use  of  the  sticky  shield  have  proved 
to  be  the  key  to  the  flea -beetle  problem. 

THE   TARRED   BOARD   OR   STICKY   SHIELD. 

The  hibernating  beetles,  unless  in  unusually  large  numbers,  will 
not  require  any  attention,  but  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  first 
generation  just  before  the  vines  are  trained  may  require  the  use  of  the 
tarred  board  or  sticky  shield. 

The  tarred  board  which  was  used  during  the  spring  of  1909  was 
made  by  stretching  a  piece  of  8-ounce  canvas  over  a  light  wooden 
frame,  4  feet  long  by  3  feet  wide.     A  4-foot  strip  attached  to  the 


LIFE    ii  is  rORl     \M»  CON  i  ROL   01     BOP  FLEA   BE!  mi.  19 

middle  of  the  board  and  braced  bj  an  upright  t«»  the  rear  edge  form 
a  handle.    The  canvas  was  then  coated   with  tar;  hence  the  name 
"  tarred  board." 

During  the  first  part  of  the  season  a  tarred  board  waa  placed  on 
each  side  of  ;i  vine  and  the  beetles  jarred  off  with  a  bunch  of  gra 
This  was  slo^  work,  and  II  was  found  bj  actual  count  that  s~<  per 
cent  of  the  beetle-  that  were  on  the  \  ines  could  be  captured  bj  placing 
a  single  board  on  the  leeward  side  of  ;i  vine.  The  beetles  are  thrown 
onto  it  with  a  single  -weep  of  a  large  brush  (PL  IV.  fig  L),  This 
method  reduces  the  cost  of  going  over  the  field  one-half,  and  twice 
the  acreage  can  be  relieved  in  the  same  length  of  time. 

Although  effective  as  a  flea-beetje  catcher,  this  tarred  board  is  a 
heavy  and  awkward  thing  to  handle.  A  light  shield  which  promises 
to  be  as  efficient  as  the  heavy  tarred  hoard  is  made  of  light  galvanized 
iron.  3  feet  wide  and  ^  feet  high,  the  top  of  the  iron  being  tacked 
around  a  curved  board  to  hold  it  in  shape.  A  piece  of  screen  wire  is 
fastened  on  the  inside  to  prevent  the  oil  from  running  down,  and  to 
make  it  lit  close  around  the  base  of  the  vine  a  curved  notch  is  cut  in 
the  bottom.  The  shield  is  operated  by  means  of  a  hose-covered  wire 
handle  which  is  attached  between  the  center  of  the  iron  and  the  mid- 
dle of  the  top  board. 

The  handle  is  held  in  the  left  hand,  and,  steadying  the  shield  with 
the  right,  the  notch  is  placed  close  to  the  base  of  the  vine.  Then, 
holding  the  shield  at  an  angle  of  about  45°,  the  beetles  are  brushed 
onto  the  screen  with  a  large  feather  duster  (PI.  IV,  fig.  2). 

Brushes. — During  the  first  of  the  season  many  sorts  of  brushes  were 
tried.  Leafy  birch  twigs  made  a  very  effective  brush,  hut  did  not  last 
long;  grass  was  not  rigid  enough,  and  broom  straw  was  too  stiff'. 
The  best  green  brush  was  made  of  young  fir  or  cedar  boughs.  These 
form  a  screen  as  well  as  a  brush  and  last  all  day.  Cutting  twigs  and 
making  brushes,  however,  becomes  expensive,  so  that  a  large  feather 
duster  proves  to  be  cheapest  in  the  end. 

TARRED   SLEDGES. 

When  the  second  generation  of  beetles  appeared  in  1908.  tarred 
sledges  8  feet  long  and  wide  enough  to  fill  the  spaces  between  rows 
were  used  to  advantage.  Eight  or  10  of  these  sledges  drawn  by 
horses  wTere  run  parallel  with  each  other  and  the  beetles  jarred  down 
upon  them.  A  lighter  sledge  (fig.  13),  drawn  by  a  man,  was  devised 
in  1909,  but  since  the  tanglefoot  has  proved  so  effective  this  sledge  is 
unnecessary. 

Crude  oil  or  tar. — Both  crude  oil  and  tar  are  effective  when  used 
on  shields  or  sledges.  Tar  has  more  disadvantages,  for  on  cold  days 
it  is  very  thick  and  on  warm  days  dries  rapidly,  and  in  either  condi- 


50 


SOMK    INSECTS    INJURIOUS    TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 


tion  may  not  catch  the  "  fleas."  On  the  other  hand,  the  oil  is  always 
sufficiently  liquid  and  does  not  dry.  Neither  substance  injures  the 
vine.  and.  although  crude  oil  is  the  most  satisfactory,  the  tar  does 
very  well. 

BANDING    WITH    TANOLEFOOT. 

It  was  observed  during  the  season  of  1908  and  also  in  1909  that  the 
beetles  did  not  fly  or  jump  upon  the  vines,  but  crawled  up  the  stems. 
This  fact  suggested  the  possibility  of  keeping  them  down  by  means  of 
a  sticky  band,  and  a  number  of  experiments  were  conducted  along 
this  line. 


Fig.  13. — Hindoo  using  tarred  hand  sledge  for  capture  of  hop  flea-beetles.      (Original.) 


Fearing  that  the  tanglefoot  might  injure  the  tender  vines  if  it- 
was  applied  directly  to  them,  cotton  was  first  wound  around  the 
stems  and  the  tanglefoot  smeared  over  that.  The  bands  were  placed 
2  feet  from  the  ground,  and  all  near-by  leaves  removed  to  prevent  the 
formation  of  a  bridge.  Two  weeks  later  the  leaves  below  the  bands 
and  all  of  the  leaves  of  unhanded  vines  were  completely  riddled  by 
the  beetle,  while  the  leaves  which  were  above  the  bands  were  un- 
touched (fig.  14). 

It  was  found  that  the  tanglefoot  does  not  injure  the  epidermal 
tissues  and  can  be  applied  to  the  most  tender  vines.     This  fact  has 


B 


IV. 


Fig.  1.— Hindoo  Using  Tarred  Board  and  Evergreen   Brush  to  Destroy  Hop 
Flea-Beetles.    (Original.  > 


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vmflae^&r:»»&*»E 

Fig.  2.— Method  of  Using  Light  Sticky  Shield  and  Feather  Duster  in  Combating 
the  Hop  Flea-Beetle.    'Original.) 


II  it    II  is  i « >i;\     \nd   co.\  i  Ki  »L  01     in  »P    i  i  i   \   r.u.  I  u.. 


51 


greatly  simplified  the  operation  arid  has  made  banding  much  more 
practical. 

Since  the  beetles  can  not  crawl  over  the  bands  the  vine*  ure  per 
fectly  protected.     In  case  the  beetles  are  numerous  when  the  vines 
are  first  trained,  the  tanglefoot  may  be  applied  :tt  that  hum',  or  if 
the  beetles  are  not  troublesome  during  the  first  generation  n  may  be 
applied  after  the  vines  are  stripped  so  it  will  be  ready  for  the  second 


must  be  banded  ;i-  well  as 
imbing  the  pole-  and  cra^  I 


brood.  In  that  case,  however,  the  poles 
the  vines,  for  the  beetles  have  a  habit  of  c 
ing  along  the  wires,  where  they  do  much 
damage  to  the  hop  cone-. 

Effect  upon  the  beetles. — The  tangle- 
foot bands  not  only  keep  the  beetles  off 
of  the  vines  but  a  large  number  of  them 
are  caught  in  it.  In  places  where  the 
beetles  were  very  thick,  hundreds  of 
them  became  entangled  in  it  and  in  some 
instances  so  many  got  caught  that  they 
formed  a  bridge  over  which  the  others 
crawled.  Beside  being  killed  by  coming 
in  contact  with  the  tanglefoot,  many  are 
starved  to  death  by  being  kept  away 
from  the  hop-leaves.  This  was  espe- 
cially true  in  the  yards  that  were  kept 
well  cultivated  and  all  suckers  cut  away. 
If  the  weeds  are  not  allowed  to  grow  in 
the  yards  and  the  vines  and  poles  are 
well  banded,  most  of  the  beetles  wTill 
either  be  caught  in  the  bands  or  starved 
to  death,  the  remainder  going  into  win- 
ter quarters  in  such  poor  condition  that 
there  will  be  fewT  beetles  the  next  spring. 

Application. — It  is  necessary  to  get 
the  tanglefoot  wTell  into  the  spaces  be- 
tween the  two  vines,  the  simplest  way  to  accomplish  this  being 
to  apply  it  with  the  hands.  A  section  about  G  inches  long  should 
be  coated  with  the  tanglefoot,  care  being  taken  that  no  parts  are 
missed  and  that  no  leaves  are  left  to  form  a  bridge  across  it.  A 
strip  around  each  pole  about  3  feet  from  the  ground  should  be 
trimmed  otf  with  an  ax,  so  that  the  tanglefoot  may  be  applied  easily. 
A  small  paddle  about  2  inches  wide  is  the  best  thing  with  which  to 
apply  the  tanglefoot  to  the  poles,  for  only  a  narrow  band  is  needed 
there.  The  amount  of  tanglefoot  used  per  acre  varies  according  to 
the  number  of  poles  and  vines.     In  one  yard  where  the  trellis  poles 


ig.  14. — Banded  hop  vine,  show- 
ing condition  of  leaves  above 
and  below  the  band.    (Original. ) 


52 


SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 


were  rather  close  together,  10  pounds  were  used  to  the  acre.  Al- 
though the  tanglefoot  is  apparently  very  disagreeable  material  to 
apply,  it  is  easily  washed  off  the  hands  with  a  little  kerosene  or  even 
with  soap  and  hot  water. 

DESTRUCTION    OF   HIBERNATING    BEETLES. 


In  poles. — Since  a  large  number  of  beetles  were  found  hiberna- 
ting in  places  where  they  might  be  attacked,  it  was  believed  advisable 
to  destroy  them.  The  slivers  on  the  trellis  poles,  under  which  the 
beetles  were  hibernating,  were  struck  with  an  ax,  forcing  them  back 


Fig.  15. — Killing  the  hop  flea-beetles  in  the  poles.      (Original.) 

against  the  solid  wood,  and  thus  either  crushing  the  insects  or  jarring 
them  out.  A  tarred  board  was  made  which  fitted  close  around  the 
base  of  the  pole  and  caught  all  the  beetles  which  fell  down  (fig.  15). 
The  rotten  parts  of  the  pole  were  chopped  off  and  burned.  Any 
beetles  which  fell  out  during  this  operation  were  caught  on  the  tar, 
and  the  fire  destroyed  the  rest.  This  is  the  most  practical  way  of 
killing  the  beetles  in  the  poles,  as  it  is  cheap  and  very  effective. 

In  vine-stubs  and  string-pegs. — As  stated  under  the  head  of  "  Hi- 
bernation," the  vine-stubs  and  string-pegs,  which  are  usually  left  in 
the  field  when  cleaning  up  in  the  fall,  may  shelter  a  considerable 
number  of  flea-beetles.     In  order  to  determine  whether  or  not  the 


LIFE    ii  is  1 1  u:\     \\  i>   ion  i  ROL  OP    HOP    mi  I   BE]  i  I  i  . 

number  present  in  such  places  is  sufficient  i<>  warrant  their  destruc- 
tion, two  hundred  or  nioiv  of  these  should  be  (Fathered,  the  beetles 
counted,  and  the  average  Dumber  <>r  beetles  per  lull  determined.  Ii 
the  number  <d*  hectic-  round  will  warrant  the  expense,  the  rine  stub* 
and  string-pegs  should  be  gathered  during  the  cold  weather  and 
burned.  In  ease  the  temperature  is  above  10  I*\  the  stubs  and  pege 
should  be  collected  into  tarred  buckets  to  prevent  any  beetles  from 
escaping.  Below  H»  the  hectic-  are  inactive  and  this  precaution  is 
unnecessary. 

BOBDEAUX    MIXTURE.0 

Bordeaux  mixture  has  long  been  recommended  as  a  deterrent 
against   flea-beetles,  and,  should  the  overwintering  adult-  severely 

attack  the  young  hop-shoot-,  may  prove  quite  effective  against  the 
hop  flea-beetle.  During  the  spring  of  1909,  when  the  hops  were 
coining  out  of  the  ground,  an  infested  region  was  thoroughly  sprayed 
with  the  5-6-50  formula,  several  rows  being  left  as  checks.  Unfor- 
tunately wet  weather  followed,  which,  while  it  favored  the  growth  of 
the  hops,  held  the  beetles  back  so  that  no  definite  conclusions  could  be 
drawn. 

The  Agassiz  hopyards,  at  the  time  that  the  beetles  became  numer- 
ous, were  sprayed  with  the  same  formula.  The  Bordeaux  mixture 
certainly  deterred  the  beetles,  but  drove  them  to  the  growing  tips, 
where  they  seriously  damaged  the  terminal  bud.  This  destruction  of 
the  terminal  bud  is  very  undesirable,  as  it  causes  the  plant  to  force 
out  arms  close  to  the  ground.  Besides  driving  the  beetles  to  the  grow- 
ing tips,  the  Bordeaux  mixture  burned  the  tender  buds  and  also 
those  leaves  that  were  badly  chewed  by  the  beetles.  Much  damage 
was  done  in  this  way. 

Since  it  was  evident  that  the  5-5-50  formula  was  too  strong,  a 
series  of  experiments  was  conducted  to  determine  the  relative  effect- 
iveness of  the  5-5-50.  the  2J-10-50  Bordeaux  mixture,  and  straight 
slaked  lime,  15  pounds  to  the  50  gallons,  as  deterrents.  Two-thirds 
of  each  vine  chosen  for  this  experiment  was  thoroughly  sprayed  with 
the  various  materials.  A  cloth  cage  was  placed  over  each  one.  and  a 
large  number  of  flea-beetles  were  liberated  inside.  Five  days  after 
setting  these  experiments  it  was  observed  that,  although  the  sprayed 
portions  were  slightly  eaten,  the  unsprayed  parts  were  decidedly 
preferred,  the  lime  being  as  effective  a  deterrent  as  the  strong  1  Bor- 
deaux mixture.     Even  though  these  experiments  were   fairly   >atis- 

factory,  more  work  should  be  done  along  these  lines  at  the  time  that 

_ _ 

o  For  details  in  regard  to  the  preparation  of  Bordeaux  mixture  the  reader  is 
referred  to  Farmers'  Bulletin  243,  entitled  "  Fungicides  and  their  Use  in  Pre- 
venting Diseases  of  Fruits." 


54  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

the  hops  are  just  coming  up  and  during  a  season  when  the  hibernated 
beetles  are  very  numerous,  in  order  to  get  more  extensive  results. 

BORDEAUX-TOBACCO    EXTRACT. 

In  endeavoring  to  combine  a  deterrent  with  a  contact  insecticide, 
the  5-5-50  Bordeaux  mixture  and  blackleaf  tobacco  extract  at  the 
rate  of  1  gallon  to  65  gallons  were  mixed  together.  Vines  were 
treated  the  same  as  in  the  previous  experiment,  and  on  examination 
after  five  days  it  was  observed  that  the  Bordeaux-tobacco  mixture 
was  as  effective  a  deterrent  as  the  Bordeaux  mixture  alone.  Its  in- 
secticidal  properties  were  tested  by  spraying  a  group  of  beetles  which 
was  placed  upon  a  soil-covered  cloth,  and  which,  after  being  sprayed, 
was  covered  with  a  cage.  After  twenty-four  hours  65  per  cent  were 
dead.  In  cases  where  the  beetles  are  very  numerous  and  a  large 
percentage  of  them  are  around  the  vineb.  a  Bordeaux-tobacco  mix- 
ture should  prove  effective. 

TOBACCO   DUST. 

In  order  to  determine  the  value  of  ground  tobacco  as  an  insecti- 
cide, a  large  sheet  was  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  soil,  and  on  this 
was  spread  a  ring  of  tobacco  dust  1|  feet  wide.  A  healthy  lot  of 
beetles  was  placed  in  the  center  of  this  ring,  and  the  few  that  managed 
to  cross  were  caught  and  placed  in  a  cage.  Most  of  the  beetles 
perished  in  the  tobacco  dust,  and  those  that  crossed  soon  died.  After 
the  dew  had  caked  the  powder,  however,  all  of  the  beetles  which 
were  placed  in  the  center  of  the  ring  crossed  the  tobacco  unharmed, 
even  though  some  of  them  carried  small  pieces  of  tobacco  with  them. 

Although  the  beetles  are  able  to  cross  the  caked  tobacco,  the  insec- 
ticidal  properties  are  not  entirely  lost,  for  when  broken  up  and 
sprinkled  onto  the  beetles  it  killed  them  as  readily  as  the  fresh 
material. 

Application  on  mangels. — A  large  plot  was  selected  in  an  infested 
mangel  patch  and  the  tobacco  dust  thoroughly  applied.  The  fol- 
lowing day  only  a  few  beetles  were  found  on  this  plot,  while  the 
adjoining  rows  contained  as  many  as  ever.  The  tobacco  dust  is  more 
effective  on  mangels  than  on  hops,  because  the  plants  are  close  to 
the  ground  and  can  be  more  readily  covered  with  the  powder. 

IMPRACTICAL    MEASURES. 

Against  beetles  in  the  poles. — Spraying  with  a  distillate  or  some 
other  contact  insecticide  was  suggested  as  a  means  of  killing  the 
beetles  in  the  poles,  but  the  "  fleas  "  are  so  far  back  in  the  slivers 
and  so  deep  in  the  rotten  portions  of  the  wood  that  a  spray  will  not 


ll  I      HISTORY     AND    CON!  R I     ll"!'    I  LEA   I.I. 1. 1  1. 1.. 


reach  them.  Painting  the  |><>l«'-  with  crude  oil  or  a  thick  crud< 
paint  with  the  idea  of  blocking  the  beetles  in  was  another  suggestion, 
and  Beveral  experiments  were  conducted  :  1 1  <  >  1 1  ^r  this  line.  Whiting 
was  used  as  a  filler  and  the  poles  were  thoroughly  coated  with  the 
mixture.  This  formed  a  sticky  coating  when  firsl  applied,  bu1  the 
oil  was  soon  absorbed  by  the  wood,  and  neither  acted  as  a  barricade 
nor  a  sticky  trap  for  those  thai  might  crawl  up  the  pole.  At  the 
time  that  the  majority  of  the  beetles  were  believed  to  be  hibernating 
in  the  trellis  poles,  dipping  them  in  hoi  crude  oil  was  offered  as  i 
sure  cure.  This  process,  if  properly  handled,  would  probably  de- 
stroy all  the  beetles  that  were  in  the  poles,  bui  the  few  present  in  that 
situation  did  not  war- 
rant such  expense.  A 
fumigatorium  (fig.  1G) 
was  made  which  could 
be  placed  around  a 
trellis  pole,  and  many 
fumigation  experi- 
ments were  tried  dur- 
ing the  winter.  When 
the  thermometer  was 
below  32°  F.  the  bee- 
tles were  apparently 
una  fleeted  by  the 
gases,  and  under  field 
conditions  the  wind 
blew  so  hard  that  it 
was  impossible  to 
make    the    fumiffator- 


~~-*V' 


Fig.    16. — Fumigating   trellis    poles    t<>   deal 
l ties.     (Original.) 


hop   flea- 


ium  tight  enough  for 
effective  work.  Such 
a  method,  too,  would 
require  a  great  deal  of 

time  and  labor,  and  as  a  practical  control  measure  is  out  of  the 
question.  Several  attempts  were  made  to  burn  the  beetle-  that  were 
in  the  poles.  In  one  experiment  kerosene  was  painted  on  the  wood 
and  lighted,  and  in  another  an  oiled  gunny  sack  was  lighted  and 
wound  around  the  base  of  a  pole  which  was  then  inclosed  in  the 
fumigatorium.  By  the  latter  method  a  few  beetles  were  killed,  but 
as  wood  is  such  a  poor  conductor  of  heat  few  were  heated  sufficiently 
to  injure  them. 

Rolling  the  yards, — The  fact  that  beetles  were  observed  hibernating 
in  the  grass  and  just  under  the  surface  of  the  soil  led  to  the  sug- 
gestion that  rolling  the  yards  with  a  heavy  roller  would  kill  a  large 
66513°— Bull.  82—12 5 


56 


SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 


number  of  them  which  happened  to  be  in  such  locations.  To  deter- 
mine this  point  30  beetles  were  placed  in  each  of  three  lamp  chimneys 
and  set  over  clumps  of  grass.  As  the  cool  evenings  approached  the 
fleas  worked  down  into  the  sod,  and  before  the  frost  was  off  of  the 
grass  the  next  morning  a  heavy  roller  was  run  over  these  clumps 
from  three  different  directions.  The  lantern  chimneys  were  then  re- 
placed and  the  sod  taken  into  the  laboratory.  On  examination  only  2 
injured  beetles  were  found.  Twelve  in  the  first  clump,  10  in  the  sec- 
ond, and  15  in  the  third  were  uninjured.  The  other  beetles  were  not 
recovered  and  probably  escaped  during  the  rolling.  A  large  block  in 
one  of  the  yards  was  rolled  over  at  this  time  (fig.  17),  but  no  differ- 
ence could  be  seen  between  the  number  of  beetles  which  emerged  on 
the  treated  block  and  the  number  which  came  out  on  the  rest  of 


pn 

77 

_ 

T/jy 

S 

fj% 

1          igiMfc  ' 

1 

'■^6* 

Fig.  17. 


-Rolling  the  hopyards  with  heavy  roller,  as  an  experiment  in  the  control  of  the 
hop  flea-beetle.      (Original.) 


the  field.  The  chitin  of  the  hibernating  beetles  is  very  hard.  The 
beetles  are  not  readily  injured  when  rolled  between  the  thumb  and 
finger,  and  it  is  very  improbable  that  a  satisfactory  percentage  could 
be  killed  by  rolling  the  field  in  which  the  beetles  are  hibernating. 


SPRAYING. 

When  the  beetles  became  numerous  on  the  sprouting  hops,  the  pos- 
sibility of  the  use  of  contact  insecticides  or  of  arsenicals  was  brought 
to  the  attention  of  the  writer,  and  a  number  of  sprays  were  carefully 
tested. 

Blackleaf  tobacco  extract. — Flea -beetles  which  were  thoroughly 
drenched  with  blackleaf  tobacco  extract  at  the  rate  of  1  gallon  to  G5 
gallons  of  water  soon  died,  but  many  beetles  jumped  through  the 


LIFE    HI8T0R1     IND  CONTROL  OF    HOP    PLEA-BEETLE.  57 

spraj  and  escaped.  This  material  did  not  hurt  the  tender  vines,  but 
the  beetles  were  not  killed  unless  they  were  completely  covered  with  it. 

Keroseru  emulsion,  According  to  Professor  Quayle'g  experiment*; 
of  L908,  kerosene  emulsion  rank-  next  t<>  blackleaf  tobacco  extract  in 
(  (feci  iveness  against  this  flea  beet  le. 

Whale-oil  soap. — Whale-oil  soap  at  the  rate  of  l  pound  i«»  LO  gal- 
lons of  water  was  applied  to  hop  "fleas"  which  were  attacking 
mangels.  WTien  a  beetle  chanced  to  become  the  center  of  a  drop  of 
spraj  n  soon  died,  but  a  little  soap  on  one  side  or  on  its  elytron  <li<l 
not   injure  it   in  the  least 

Resin  lye. — The  resin-lye  spray  used  at  the  rate  of  1  pound  of 
resin  to  LO  gallons  of  water  was  a  little  more  effective  than  the  whale- 
oil  soap,  but  was  far  from  satisfactory. 

Arsenicals. — Although  the  hop  flea-beetle  is  supposed  to  be  very 
resistant  to  arsenicals,  Laboratory  experiments  proved  that  a  fair  per- 
centage may  be  killed  by  the  use  of  either  arsenate  of  lead  or  Paris 
green.  For  good  results  the  arsenate  of  lead  should  be  used  at  the 
rate  of  5  pounds  to  50  gallons  of  water,  and  the  vines  should  be  kept 
well  covered  with  it.  but  since  the  vines  grow  very  rapidly  such  a 
method  becomes  too  laborious  and  costly. 

TRAPS. 

Trap  foods. — It  is  evident  from  the  results  obtained  in  the  pre- 
ferred food-plant  experiments  that  the  best  trap  food  for  beetle-, 
either  on  the  hops  or  on  the  mangels,  is  the  nettle,  the  tomato  for  tin' 
hop  and  the  rhubarb  for  the  mangel  coming  next.  Since  the  hop  i- 
preferred  to  any  other  plant,  and  since  it  comes  up  at  the  same  time 
as  the  nettle,  the  only  chance  to  use  a  trap  food  is  in  the  fall  after  the 
hops  are  gone.  The  borders  of  the  fields  are  the  only  place-  where  a 
trap  crop  can  possibly  be  grown,  because,  when  the  hops  are  gathered, 
the  pickers  would  trample  down  anything  that  was  growing  between 
the  rows.  If  the  nettles  which  grow  along  the  fence-  are  thoroughly 
sprayed  with  arsenate  of  lead  or  Paris  green  about  the  time  that  the 
hops  are  picked  a  large  number  of  beetles  may  be  killed. 

Trap  lights. — The  beetles  which  were  brought  into  the  laboratory 
appeared  to  be  quite  positively  phototropic  and  with  the  hope  that 
trap  lights  might  prove  succe>sful  these  were  tried  under  field  condi- 
tions. A  lantern  set  on  a  tanglefooted  board  was  placed  in  an  in- 
fested mangel  patch.  Although  the  beetles  were  numerous  on  the 
mangels  all  around  the  light,  only  a  few  of  them  were  attracted  to 
it.  They  could  be  seen  crawling  around  on  near-by  leave-,  but  ap- 
parently had  no  desire  to  approach  the  light.  The  same  results  were 
obtained  with  the  acetylene  light,  the  increased  intensity  having  no 
effect  upon  the  beetles. 

Trap  shelters. — The  use  of  trap  shelters  to  catch  the  hibernating 
beetles  was  one  of  the  first  control  measures  which  were  thought  of. 


58  SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 


The  idea  was  to  distribute  them  around  the  field  while  the  beetles  are 
still  active  and  collect  them  as  soon  as  the  beetles  hibernate.  Under 
laboratory  conditions  beetles  entered  two  sorts  of  traps  very  readily. 
The  one  is  made  by  cutting  the  old  vine  stems  into  6-inch  sections 
and  tying  8  or  10  of  them  into  a  bundle.  The  other  trap  is  made  of 
corrugated  paper,  with  a  plain  sheet  fastened  on  each  side  with 
marine  glue.  This  leaves  a  row  of  tubes  into  which  the  beetles  can 
crawl.  Pieces  4  inches  square  were  to  be  pegged  out  with  slender 
pegs,  but  since  other  control  measures  have  proved  so  effective  the 
experiment  has  never  been  tried  in  the  field. 

CULTIVATION  AND  FERTILIZATION. 

The  earlier  the  hops  come  up  in  spring,  the  better  chance  there  will 
be  of  their  reaching  the  "  string "  before  the  beetles  attack  them. 
When  the  vines  are  once  on  the  string  they  can  be  protected  with 
tanglefoot  bands  or  by  the  use  of  tarred  boards. 

Inasmuch  as  cultivation  and  fertilization  tend  to  bring  the  vines 
up  earlier  in  the  spring  they  aid  in  the  control  of  the  beetles,  and  if 
clean  cultivation  is  practiced  after  the  vines  are  tanglefooted  a  large 
number  of  beetles  will  starve  to  death. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  first  knowledge  that  the  hop  growers  will  probably  have  of  the 
presence  of  the  hop  flea -beetle  in  dangerously  large  numbers  will  be 
attack  by  the  beetles  upon  the  vines  about  the  time  that  they  are 
ready  to  train.  The  "  fleas  "  at  this  time  may  be  greatly  reduced  in 
numbers,  so  that  the  vines  can  reach  the  strings,  by  the  use  of  the 
sticky  shield  (p.  49)  or  the  heavier  tarred  board  (p.  48). 

After  the  vines  are  trained  the  beetles  are  readily  controlled  by  the 
use  of  the  tanglefoot  bands.  These  bands  should  be  renewed  on  the 
vines,  and  the  trellis  poles  should  also  be  banded  at  the  time  that  the 
vines  are  tied  in  and  stripped,  or  just  before  the  appearance  of  the 
second  generation.  These  tanglefoot  bands  form  a  perfect  barrier 
to  the  insects.  Even  though  the  beetles  are  present  in  very  large 
numbers  they  can  not  reach  the  upper  parts  of  the  hop  vines,  which 
can  therefore  produce  a  crop  without  molestation. 

In  order  to  starve  the  beetles  the  yards  should  be  well  cultivated 
and  all  suckers  cut  from  the  bases  of  the  vines.  If  this  is  done  the 
emerging  insects  will  find  very  little  to  feed  upon.  In  some  cases 
the  destruction  of  the  beetles  which  hibernate  in  the  trellis  poles, 
string  pegs,  and  vine  stubs  may  be  advisable,  but  if  the  banding  is 
thoroughly  done  and  the  yards  are  kept  clean  during  the  growing 
season,  very  few  beetles  will  live  through  the  winter  to  attack  the 
vines  in  the  following  spring. 


r.  B.  D.  v ..  B.  i'.  Bui.  B2,  Pari  \  .  laued  Aojcufl  81,  1910 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRICK  CROPS. 


BIOLOGIC  AND  ECONOMIC   NOTES  ON  THE  YELLOW-BEAR 

CATERPILLAR. 

{Diaaiaia  virginica  Fab. )" 

By  H.  0.  Marsh,  Agent  and  Expert. 

RECENT  INJURY. 

During  the  late  summer  and  fall  of  1909  there  was  a  serious  out- 
break of  the  common  yellow-bear  caterpillar  (Diacrisia  virginica 
Yah.)  in  the  upper  Arkansas  Valley  of  Colorado.  Never  before  in 
the  history  of  the  valley  had  this  species  been  so  destructive,  and 
the  outbreak  came  as  a  surprise  to  all  concerned. 

The  larvae,  or  caterpillars,  of  the  first  generation  developed  nor- 
mally on  weeds  along  the  fences  and  irrigation  ditches  and  caused 
little  damage  to  cultivated  crops,  but  the  larvae  of  the  second  gener- 
ation, which  began  to  develop  about  the  middle  of  August,  were  so 
numerous  that  the  weeds  were  not  suflicient  to  support  them  and 
they  spread  to  sugar  beets  and  other  crops. 

The  sugar  beets,  because  of  the  extensive  acreage  and  the  large 
supply  of  food  which  their  tender  foliage  offered,  were  more  severely 
damaged  than  any  other  crop.  The  larvae  were  variously  estimated 
to  have  infested  from  15,000  to  20,000  acres  of  sugar  beets  in  the 
upper  portion  of  the  Arkansas  Valley.  Definite  records  from  this 
vast  acreage  show  that  fully  1,000  acres  were  badly  defoliated. 

The  larvae  of  this  second  generation  developed  so  late  in  the  season 
that  the  injury  to  which  the  beets  were  subjected  did  not  noticeably 
reduce  the  tonnage,  but  all  over  the  worst  infested  area  there  was  a 
reduction  in  sugar  content  and  quality.  Owing  to  the  other  factors, 
such  as  late  rains  and  a  disease  known  as  "leaf  spot"  (Cercospora 
beticola  Sacc),  which  also  tended  to  lower  the  sugar  content,  any- 
thing more  definite  than  an  approximate  statement  concerning  the 
loss  of  sugar  in  the  beets  would  be  very  misleading.  However, 
estimates  based  on  comparative  analyses  made  by  the  chemists  at 

a  Formerly  known  as  Spilosoma  virginica  Fab. 

59 


60  SOME    [NSECTS    [NJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

the  various  sugar  factories  indicated  that  there  was  a  loss  in  sugar 
content  of  from  1  to  3  per  cent  over  the  badly  defoliated  area.  Over 
a  large  part  of  the  infested  area  the  defoliation  was  not  bad  enough 
to  cause  any  very  noticeable  loss. 

The  author's  first  observations  in  the  Arkansas  Valley  on  this 
species  were  made  on  July  23,  1909,  at  Rocky  Ford,  Colo.,  and  the 
following  is  a  summary  of  his  notes  at  that  place  and  at  other  points 
in  Colorado  and  Kansas  during  the  season.  All  notes,  except  when 
other  localities  are  mentioned,  w£re  taken  at  Rocky  Ford. 

Before  entering  into  a  discussion  of  the  biology,  of  the  plants 
injured,  of  the  experiments  made,  and  of  other  matters,  attention  is 
called  to  the  illustration  (fig.  18)  which  shows  the  female  moth, 
larvae,  cocoon,  and  pupa.  This  needs  no  further  explanation  than 
to  state   that  the   moth  is   of  moderate   size,   its  spread   of  wings 


Fig.  18.— The  yellow-bear  caterpillar  (Diacrisia  virginka):  a,  Female  moth;  b.  larva:  c.  pale  form  of  larva; 
d.cocoou;  e,  pupa.    (From  Chittenden.) 

being  from  1J  to  If  inches,  ornamented  with  black  dots  as  Indicated, 
and  that  the  larvre  vary  in  color,  the  dark  form  (b)  and  white  form  (c) 
being  shown. 

BIOLOGIC  NOTES. 

On  July  23  nearly  mature  larva?  of  the  first  brood  were  fairly 
abundant  on  lamb's  quarters  along  the  fences  and.  irrigation  ditches. 
In  some  places  it  was  noticed  that  they  had  spread,  from  the  weeds 
to  sugar  beets  and  had  stripped  the  foliage  from  the  first  three  or 
four  rows  nearest  the  fences.  On  August  3  and  4  full-grown  larva? 
were  found  in  moderate  numbers  on  sugar  beets  and  lamb's  quarters 
at  Fort  Collins  and  Greeley  in  northern  Colorado,  and  on  August  10 


.\»u  BS   OS     [HE  YE1  LO¥    BE  \i:    «   \  I  BRPILLAB.  *i| 

a  large  cluster  of  eggs  of  this  Bpecies  was  taken  on  beef  leaf 

at  Rock}  Ford,  Colo.  August  13,  al  a  seed  farm  east  of  Rock)  Ford, 
many  clusters  of  eggs,  thousands  of  newrj  hatched  larvae,  and  some 
Larvae  one-third  grown  were  found  on  a  large  patch  of  rhubarb.  \ 
dozen  or  more  moths  were  also  observed  <>n  the  rhubarb,  some  of 
which  were  depositing  eggs.  Rhubarb,  possiblj  because  if  provided 
bo  much  protection  to  the  moths,  was  a  favorite  food  plant  and  great 
numbers  of  eggs  were  deposited  on  it.  The  larva,  after  partially  or 
completely  stripping  the  large  leaves,  spread  to  other  plants. 

By  August  24  Larvae,  varying  in  size  from  quite  small  to  one-half 
grown,  were  seen  in  many  beet  fields.  Infestation  was  usually  con- 
fined to  spots,  often  only  a  corner  of  a  field  being  infested. 

H\  September  6  infestation  had  become  general  and  there  was 
probably  not  a  Hold  of  beets  in  the  Rocky  Ford  district  in  which 
larvae  were  not  present,  at  least  in  small  numbers.  At  this  date  a 
Large  portion  of  the  larvae  were  over  half  grown.  The  worst  infesta- 
tion occurred  within  a  radius  of  2\  miles  from  the  town.  With  few 
exceptions,  the  beets  outside  of  this  area  were  not  seriously  infested, 
and  later  examinations  throughout  the  infested  portions  of  the  valley 
showed  that  the  worst  infestations  were  close  to  the  towns,  although 
in  some  cases  the  infestation  extended  miles  beyond  them. 

September  11  the  first  cocoon  was  found,  containing  a  larva  which 
pupated  a  few  days  later.  By  September  14  many  larva1  had  matured, 
left  the  beets,  and  were  seen  hurrying  away  in  search  of  places  for 
pupation.  September  17,  several  larva?  were  found  dead  from  a 
fungous  disease.  By  September  20,  although  larvae  were  still 
abundant  and  as  many  as  16  individuals  were  counted  on  a  single 
beet,  many  had  matured  and  crawled  under  heaps  of  weeds,  grass, 
rubbish,  boards,  etc.,  along  fences  and  irrigation  ditches,  and  had 
formed  cocoons.  Of  20  cocoons  which  were  examined  at  this  time, 
19  contained  live  larvae  and  1  a  new,  soft  pupa.  Seventeen  of  these 
larvae  pupated  within  the  next  three  or  four  days.  At  this  date, 
September  20,  a  large  acreage  of  the  beets  had  been  badly  defoliated. 
In  some  fields  nothing  remained  of  the  foliage  except  a  few  young 
leaves  (which  the  larva?  usually  avoided),  the  petioles,  and  some  of 
the  larger  veins  of  the  older  leaves. 

September  22,  in  the  corner  of  one  beet  field,  over  an  area  about 
three-fourths  of  an  acre  in  extent,  many  larvae  were  troubled  with  a 
fungous  disease  identified  as  Botrytis  bassiana  Bals.  About  2  per 
cent  of  the  larva*  had  died  from  this  cause.  It  was  noted  September 
25,  and  later  throughout  the  Rocky  Ford  district,  that  the  disease 
had  not  spread  and  that  diseased  larvse  did  not  exist  or  were  rare, 
except  in  this  corner. 

By  September  27  larva?  were  noticeably  less  abundant  and  many 
defoliated  beets  were  putting  out  new  tops.     Before  the  Diacrisia 


62  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

infestation  became  very  bad  a  considerable  amount  of  the  older 
beet  foliage  had  been  killed  by  the  " leaf-spot"  disease  (Oercospora 
beticola  Sacc.)  and  the  plants  had  put  out  a  new  stock  of  leaves.  The 
Diacrisia  attack,  following  the  " leaf-spot"  injury,  made  necessary 
still  another  crop  of  leaves  before  the  beets  could  mature.  By 
October  5  the  bulk  of  the  larvae  had  entered  winter  quarters.  The 
cocoons  were  common  under  weeds  and  many  contained  pupae.  On 
October  12  there  were  still  a  few  belated  larvae  on  the  beets. 

Between  October  14  and  24  a  trip  was  made  through  the  beet- 
growing  sections  of  the  Arkansas  Valley.  At  Las  Animas,  Colo., 
about  30  miles  east  of  Rocky  Ford,  the  larvae  had  been  abundant 
and  destructive.  This  place  appeared  to  be  the  eastern  limit  of 
injury.  Examinations  and  inquiries  made  at  Lamar  and  Holly, 
Colo.,  and  at  Garden  City,  Kans.,  showed  that  the  larvae  had  not 
occurred  in  unusual  numbers  at  those  places.  West  and  north  in 
the  Arkansas  Valley  the  larvae  occurred  in  injurious  numbers  as  far 
as  the  beets  were  grown,  i.  e.,  into  the  country  around  Pueblo  and 
Sugar  City,  Colo. 

As  late  as  October  24  occasional  larvae  still  occurred  on  the  beets 
at  Rocky  Ford,  Colo.  At  this  date  100  cocoons  were  collected  from 
under  boards  and  weeds  and  examined.  Seventy-four  contained 
live  pupae,  4  contained  dead  pupae,  in  10  were  live  larvae,  and  in  12 
dead  larvae.  Two  of  the  live  larvae  had  the  eggs  of  a  tachinid  parasite 
fastened  on  their  backs  and  one  of  the  dead  larvae  contained  a  live 
tachinid  larva.  The  other  larvae  had  evidently  died  either  from  a 
fungous  disease  or  from  natural  causes.  Two  of  the  dead  pupae 
were  deformed  and  the  other  two  had  evidently  died  from  disease. 
By  October  30  the  larvae  had  almost  completely  disappeared  from  the 
beet  foliage. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  this  outbreak  is  that  the  larvae  had  so  few 
natural  enemies.  Birds  did  not  eat  them,  and  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  individuals  which  were  killed  by  parasites  and  disease  they 
appeared  to  be  unmolested. 

On  November  12  thousands  of  healthy  pupae  were  in  condition  to 
pass  the  winter  safely.  If  the  pupae  are  not  killed  by  man  or  by 
adverse  weather  conditions,  there  is  every  indication  that  there  will 
be  another  outbreak  of  the  pest  during  1910. 

LIST  OF  PLANTS  INJURED. 

During  September,  when  the  larvae  occurred  in  most  noticeable 
abundance,  they  were  found  feeding  on  the  following  plants:  Sugar 
beet,  stock  beet,  table  beet,  rhubarb,  cabbage,  cauliflower,  turnip, 
radish,  celery,  carrot,  parsnip,  eggplant,  potato,  pumpkin,  squash, 
watermelon,  cantaloupe,  sweet  potato,  corn,  lima  bean,  string  bean, 
asparagus,   pea,   peanut,    alfalfa,   hollyhock,   morning-glory,    canna, 


NOTES  OK     i  ii  i     YELLOW    BEAD    CATERPILLAR. 

hyacinthj  dahlia,  cherry,  gooseberry,  blackberry,  ra  pberry,  currant, 
grape,  dock  (Rumex),  Amaranthus,  Chenopodium,  Helianthus, 
Solanum  rostratum,  Verbesina,  Ambrosia,  Russian  thistle  SdUola 
tragus  Auct.),  and  Spanish  needle. 

EXPERIMENTS  WITH  ARSENICALS. 

Opportunity  was  afforded  for  testing  arsenate  of  lead  and  Paris 
green  as  menus  of  suppressing  the  yellow-bear  caterpillar  on  sugar 
beets  and  celery. 

Experiments  were  made  as  follows: 

Experiment  No.  I.  Arsenate  of  lead  applied  at  the  rate  of  6  pounds 
in  100  gallons  of  water. 

Experiment  No.  B.-  Arsenate  of  lead  at  the  rate  of  8  pounds  in  100 
gallons  of  water. 

Experiment  No.  8. — Arsenate  of  load  at  the  rate  of  10  pounds  in 
100  gallons  of  water. 

Experiment  No.  4- — Arsenate  of  lead,  8  pounds  to  100  gallons, 
applied  twice  to  the  same  plants,  practically  equaling  1 6  pounds  of  the 
arsenate  to  100  gallons  of  water. 

In  these  experiments  150  gallons  of  the  mixture  at  the  various 
strengths  were  applied  September  7-9,  1009,  to  3  acres  of  sugar  beets 
with  an  ordinary  barrel  sprayer,  mounted  on  a  cart  and  drawn  by  a 
mule.  The  sprayer  was  fitted  with  an  8-row  attachment  and  nozzles 
of  the  Vermorel  type,  and  the  upper  surface  of  the  beet  foliage  was 
given  an  even  coating  of  poison.  Traces  of  the  poison  were  visible 
on  the  sprayed  foliage  for  nearly  a  month  after  application. 

These  four  experiments  were  entirely  unsuccessful,  as  practically 
no  larvae  were  killed  either  in  the  field  or  in  cages  supplied  with 
poison-coated  leaves.  In  both  cases  the  poisoned  foliage  was  eaten 
readily.  A  sample  of  the  arsenate  of  lead  used  in  the  experiments 
was  analyzed  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry  and  found  to  be  of  unusu- 
ally good  quality. 

Experiment  No.  5. — Arsenate  of  lead  (Disparene)  at  the  rate  of  8 
pounds  in  100  gallons  of  water. 

September  21,  6  gallons  were  applied  with  a  small  compressed-air 
sprayer  fitted  with  a  nozzle  of  the  Mistry  type  to  8  rows  of  celery, 
each  about  90  yards  in  length.  A  very  thorough  and  even  coat  of 
poison  was  given  the  plants,  but  very  few  larvae  were  killed. 

An  analysis  made  of  this  arsenate  of  lead  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemis- 
try showed  that  it  was  of  unusually  good  quality. 

Experiment  No.  6. — Paris  green,  5  pounds,  and  lime,  5  pounds,  to 
each  100  gallons  of  water. 

September  25,  2  gallons  of  this  mixture  were  applied  with  a 
compressed-air  sprayer  and  nozzle  of  the  Mistry  type  to  2  rows  of 
celery,  each  about  90  yards  in  length.     Twenty-four  hours  after  the 


64  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

treatment  L5  per  cent  of  the  larvae  were  dead,  and  within  three  or 
four  days  few  larvae  remained  on  the  plants.  The  disappearance 
of  the  larvae  was  not  entirely  due  to  the  Paris  green,  as  the  celery  was 
sprayed,  at  about  the  same  time  the  poison  was  applied,  with  a  solu- 
tion of  lye-sulphur  for  the  common  red  spider  (Tetranychus  bimacula- 
tus  Harv.).  This  solution  was  evidently  very  distasteful  to  the 
larvae  and  they  went  over  to  the  unsprayed  or  check  plants. 

h.rperiment  No.  7. — Paris  green,  8  pounds,  and  lime,  8  pounds,  to 
100  gallons  of  water. 

September  1  about  40  .gallons  of  this  mixture  were  applied  to  1 
acre  of  sugar  beets  with  the  same  equipment  used  in  Experiments 
Nos.  1,  2,  3,  and  4.  Some  trouble  was  experienced  in  keeping  this 
mixture  in  suspension,  but  a  fairly  even  coat  of  poison  was  made, 
which  remained  visible  for  at  least  ten  days  after  the  treatment. 

This  application  was  ineffective,  for  although  a  few  partly  grown 
larvae  were  killed  the  number  was  so  small  that  a  week  later  the 
larvae  were  as  abundant  on  the  sprayed  plants  as  on  those  unsprayed. 
Analysis  made  of  a  sample  of  the  Paris  green  used  in  this  experiment 
showed  it  to  be  of  good  quality. 

Experiment  No.  8. — Paris  green,  10  pounds,  and  lime,  10  pounds,  in 
100  gallons  of  water.  On  September  12,  6^  gallons  of  this  mixture 
were  applied  with  a  compressed  air  sprayer  and  Mis  try  type  nozzle 
to  5  rows  of  celery,  each  row  being  100  yards  in  length.  Although 
the  mixture  required  frequent  agitation  to  hold  the  poison  in  suspen- 
sion, an  even  coat  of  poison  was  applied. 

Twenty-four  hours  after  the  application  55  per  cent  of  the  larvae 
were  dead,  and  three  days  later  but  few  living  individuals  could  be 
found  on  the  sprayed  plants,  while  on  the  check  row  they  were  still 
abundant.  This  treatment  was  extremely  effective,  as  practically 
100  per  cent  of  the  larvae  were  killed. 

Experiment  No.  9. — Paris  green,  10  pounds,  and  lime,  10  pounds,  to 
100  gallons  of  water.  On  September  21,  9  gallons  of  this  mixture 
were  applied  to  10  rows  of  celery,  each  row  being  about  90  yards  in 
length.  This  experiment  was  a  repetition  of  No.  8,  and  the  results 
were  practically  the  same. 

Experiment  No.  10. — Paris  green,  10  pounds,  and  10  pounds  of 
lime  to  100  gallons  of  water.  On  September  14  about  35  gallons  of 
this  mixture  were  applied  to  a  little  over  half  an  acre  of  sugar  beets. 
An  ordinary  barrel  spra}^er  mounted  on  a  handcart  was  used.  The 
sprayer  was  fitted  with  an  agitator  so  small  that  it  was  impossible 
to  keep  the  poison  in  suspension.  As  a  result  the  bulk  of  the  poison 
was  applied  to  the  first  few  rows  of  beets  sprayed.  Owing  to  rain  of 
the  previous  day  the  soil  was  so  moist  in  the  beet  field  that  the  pump 
could  not  be  taken  into  it,  and  the  mixture  had  to  be  applied  through 
a  50-foot  length  of  heavy  garden  hose  and  a  nozzle  of  the  Vermorel 


NOTKS   I i\     I  M  I     \  i  1 .1  <  >\\    III   \i;    i    \  I  I  i;l'li.l.  \i;. 


65 


i  \  pe,  The  hose  could  nol  l><'  handled  to  advanl  age,  and  an  extremely 
poor  and  unsatisfactory  application  was  made. 

Where  the  coat  of  poison  was  thick,  a  good  man}  of  the  larvae 
were  killed,  bul  as  the  amount  of  poison  diminished  the  q  umber  of  dead 
larvae  diminished  also  and  the  experiment  was  considered  a  failure 
from  ever)  standpoint . 

Shortly  before  any  of  the  above  experiments  were  undertaken,  one 
of  the  beet  growers  made  tests  with  Paris  green  at  the  rates  of  1 
pound  and  2  pounds  in  50  gallons  of  water  against  these  larva  on 
sugar  beets.  These  tests  were  not  made  under  the  writer's  direction, 
but  from  all  appearances  careful  work  was  done.  The  poison  did 
not  kill  a  material  number  of  the  larva-  and  as  these  strengths 
were  so  obviously  ineffective,  the  apparently  excessive  strengths 
were  used  in  the  experiments  which  were  conducted  later. 

In  none  of  the  experiments  with  arsenate  of  lead  was  the  foliage, 
either  of  sugar  beets  or  celery,  burned,  but  with  Paris  green,  wherever 
the  foliage  was  partly  eaten  there  was  some  burning.  This,  however, 
was  not  serious  in  any  ease.  Leaves  remaining  entire,  even  the  very 
tender  ones  at  the  center  of  the  plants,  were  uninjured. 

The  weather  conditions  were  ideal  during  the  time  these  experi- 
ments were  made. 

The  results  of  these  spraying  experiments  are  summarized  in  the 
following  table: 

Results  of  experiments  with  sprays  against  the  yellow-bear  caterpillar  I  Diaerisia  virginica  I 

on  sugar  beets  and  celery. 


Expert - 

0  c- 

Date. 

Insecticide  used. 

Larvae  killed. 

Remarks. 

1909. 

1 

Sept.       7 

Arsenate  of  lead  6  pounds  to 
100  gallons  of  water. 

Very  few 

Applied  to  sugar  beets  with  bar- 
rel sprayer  fitted  with  8-row 
attachment. 

2 

....do 

Arsenate  of  lead  8  pounds  to 
100  gallons  of  water. 

do 

Applied  to  sugar  beets  with  s-row 
sprayer. 

3 

Sept.       9 

Arsenate  of  lead  10  pounds 
to  100  gallons  of  water. 

do 

Do. 

4 

Sept.    7-s 

Arsenate  of  lead  16  pounds 
to  100  gallons  of  water. 

do 

h  to  loo  mixture  applied  twice  to 
same  plat  of  sugar  beets  with 
S-row  sprayer. 

5 

Sept.     21 

Arsenate  of  lead  8  pounds  to 
100  gallons  of  water. 

do 

Applied  with  hand  sprayer  to 
celery. 

6 

Sept.      _>."> 

Paris  green  5  pounds  and 

At    least     1.5    per 

Applied    to    celery    with    hand 

lime  5  pounds  to  100  gal- 

cent. 

sprayer.  The  larvae  deserted 
this   plat    because  it   was  also 

lons  of  water. 

sprayed  with  lye-sulphur  solu- 
tion    for     the     common     red 

spider. 

7 

Sept.       l 

Paris  green  8  pounds  and 
lime  8  pounds  to  100  gal- 
lons of  water. 

Very  few 

Applied  with  s-row  sprayer  to 
sugar  beets. 

8 

Sept.      12 

Paris  green  10  pounds  and 
lime  10  pounds  to  100  gal- 

Practically loo  per 

Applied   with   hand    sprayer  to 

cent. 

celery. 

lons  of  water. 

9 

Sept.     21 

Paris  green  10  pounds  and 
lime  10  pounds  to  100  gal- 

 do 

Applied  with  hand  sprayer  to 
celery.    Repetition   of  experi- 

lons of  water. 

ment  No.  8  to  determine  effect 
on  older  Larvae. 

10 

Sept.      14 

Paris  green  10  pounds  and 
lime  10  pounds  to  100  gal- 

Varying number. . 

Applied  to  sugar  beets.    Results 

inconclusive   because   of  poor 

lons  of  water. 

application  with  faulty 

sprayer. 

66  SOME    INSECTS    [INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

It  will  be  seen  that  arsenate  of  lead,  even  when  applied  at  an 
excessive  strength  by  hand  or  machine  sprayer,  was  entirely  ineffec- 
tive against  the  larvae  of  D.  virginica  on  sugar  beets  and  celery. 
Paris  green,  when  applied  very  thoroughly  by  hand  to  celery,  gave 
perfect  results  when  used  at  excessive  strengths,  but  when  applied 
to  sugar  beets  with  a  machine  sprayer  (the  only  practical  method 
with  such  a  crop)  it,  too,  proved  ineffective. 

The  failure  to  kill  the  larvae  was  not  due  to  their  being  nearly 
mature,  as  in  the  earlier  experiments  they  varied  in  size  all  the  way 
from  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  grown;  and  as  the  development  of 
this  species  is  very  irregular  there  were  larvae  present  which  were 
not  over  half  grown  when  all  the  experiments  were  made. 

Judging  from  the  results  of  these  experiments,  the  arsenicals  can 
not  be  depended  on  to  control  the  larva?  of  D.  virginica  on  sugar 
beets.  It  is  evident  that  clean  cultural  methods  offer  the  best  chance 
of  keeping  this  species  under  control.  The  larvae  are  very  general 
feeders,  and  during  the  early  growing  season  they  evidently  prefer 
weeds,  such  as  lamb's-quarters,  for  food.  Much  benefit  would  be 
gained  by  keeping  the  ditch  banks,  and  spaces  along  the  fences, 
free  from  weeds. 

On  reaching  maturity  the  larvae  crawl  under  heaps  of  dead  weeds, 
tufts  of  grass,  boards,  and  other  rubbish,  along  the  ditches  and 
fences.  In  such  quarters,  which,  especially  in  the  case  of  weeds  and 
grass,  offer  but  slight  protection,  they  construct  frail  cocoons  in 
which  the  pupae  pass  the  winter.  There  is  no  better  method  of  fight- 
ing this  species  than  to  burn  the  weeds,  grass,  etc.,  under  which  the 
pupae  find  protection.  This  burning,  which  can  be  done  any  time 
between  November  1  and  April  1,  would  not  only  have  the  advantage 
of  destroying  quantities  of  weed  seeds  and  Diacrisia  pupae,  but  would 
also  kill  the  " alkali  bugs"  (Monoxia  sp.  ?)  which  hibernate  under 
the  weeds  in  the  same  places  as  the  Diacrisia  pupae. 

In  the  field  the  larvae  were  watched  for  over  three  weeks,  or  until 
a  large  proportion  of  them  had  matured  and  left  the  plants  to  pupate. 
The  arsenate  of  lead  was  visible  on  the  beet  foliage  during  all  of  this 
time.  A  few  larvae  were  put  in  a  cage  supplied  with  the  poison- 
coated  leaves  from  the  sprayed  plats  immediately  after  the  applica- 
tion was  made.  These  leaves  were  almost  completely  consumed 
during  the  following  two  days  and  after  that  unsprayed  foliage  was 
given  them.  Only  one  small  larva  out  of  about  25  died,  although 
they  were  kept  caged  and  under  daily  observation  for  ten  days  or 
until  the  oldest,  individuals  began  to  prepare  to  pupate. 

Personally  the  writer  believes  that  the  failure  to  kill  the  larvae 
was  due,  in  part  at  least,  to  the  fact  that  an  insufficient  amount  of 
spray  was  used  to  the  acre.  Fully  100  gallons  to  the  acre  should 
have  been  applied. 


Q. 8.  i>.  a.,  l!.  K.  Bui. 82,  Part  VI.  baaed  Decembers,  L910 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRICK  CROPS. 


NOTES   ON  THE  CUCUMBER  BEETLES. 

By  F.  H.  Chittenden, 

In  Charge  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  1  I     >.stigatiovs. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Among  insects  injurious  to  useful  crops  are  many  species  of  Dia- 
brotica, most  of  which  for  convenience'  we  may  term  cucumber 
beetles,  the  term  including  such  species  as  feed  upon  cucurbits  and 

similar  plants.  The  commonest  and  best  known  examples  are  the 
striped  cucumber  beetle"  (Diabrotica  vittata  Fab.),  the  twelve-spotted 
cucumber  beetle  or  southern  corn  root-worm  (D.  duodecimpunctata 
Oliv.).  and  a  western  species  related  to  the  last,  known  as  Diabrotica 
soror  Lee.  All  of  these  are  of  the  highest  economic  importance.  The 
first  mentioned  is  one  of  the  most  injurious  species  affecting  truck 
crops:  the  second  is  very  troublesome  in  the  Southern  States,  while 
the  last  is  about  equally  injurious  in  the  Pacific  region.  In 
addition  to  these  we  now  know  of  several  other  species  which 
habitually  or  occasionally  affect  truck  crops.  In  all  there  are  a  full 
score  of  species  of  this  genus  and  two  subspecies.  A  few  of  these  are 
more  often  found  on  corn  and  grasses,  hence  will  not  be  considered  in 
this  article. 

The  notes  which  follow  are  supplemented  by  a  more  detailed  article, 
by  Mr.  IT.  0.  Marsh,  on  the  same  and  other  species.  The  species 
which  the  writer  will  consider  have  never  been  treated  at  any  length 
in  a  departmental  publication,  and  the  illustrations  are  here  presented 
for  the  first  time. 

^The  economic  treatment  of  the  first  two  species  mentioned,  the  striped  and  the 
twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetles,  is  given  in  Circular-  Nos.  31  and  59,  respectively. 
In  the  latter,  the  western  corn  root-worm,  which  is  more  of  a  field-crop  iusect,  is  also 
treated.  These  publications  may  be  obtained  free  of  charge  on  application  to  the 
Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

67 


68 


SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS  TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 


THE   SADDLED  CUCUMBER  BEETLE. 


(Diabrotica  connexa  Lee.) 

What  appears  to  be  the  first  report  of  attack  by  the  saddled  cucum- 
ber beetle  (Diabrotica  connexa  Lee.)  was  that  made  by  Mr.  C.  S.  Spooner, 
April  10,  1907,  while  engaged  in  truck  crop  insect  investigations 
in  this  Bureau.  It  was  found  attacking  cucurbitaceous  plan! 
Corpus  Christi,  Tex.  Mr.  E.  A.  Schwarz,  of  this  Bureau,  however, 
states  that  he  had  met  with  it  commonly  in  western  Texas  in  earlier 
years,  attacking  cucurbits. 

This  species  (fig.  19)  belongs  to  the  same  series  as  Diabrotica  baltcata 
Lee. but  to  a  group  in  which  the  antennae  have  the  third  joint  fully  as 

long  as  the  fourth  and  twice  as  long 
as  the  second.  The  elytra  or  wing- 
covers  are  dark  ochraceous  yellow 
with  a  purplish-brown  transverse 
band  at  the  base,  another  just  for- 
ward of  the  middle,  and  with  four 
roundish  spots  of  the  same  color  rep- 
resenting a  third  band.  The  first 
two  bands  are  usually  united  on  their 
outer  edges,  inclosing  a  more  or  less 
heart-shaped  area  of  ochraceous  yel- 
low color.  The  head  is  colored  about 
like  the  bands  and  spots  on  the  elytra. 
This  insect  is  a  little  larger  than  D. 
balteata  and  measures  nearly  three- 
tenths  of  an  inch  (7  mm.)  in  length. 
It  is  recorded  by  Horn,a  who  describes  the  adult  in  detail,  from 
" Texas  and  Mexico."  Jacoby  b  figures  the  species  and  mentions 
Tuxtla  in  Mexico. 


Fig.  19.— The  saddled  cucumber  beetle  (Dia- 
brotica connexa):  Beetle,  about  5  times  natural 
size.     (Original.) 


THE  PAINTED  CUCUMBER  BEETLE. 

(Diabrotica  picticornis  Horn.) 

October  13,  1905,  Mr.  F.  C.  Pratt  observed  the  painted  cucumber 
beetle  (Diabrotica  picticornis  Horn)  at  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  in  great 
numbers  in  the  blossoms  of  okra  and  on  beets,  associated  with  D. 
balteata.  The  species  was  received  December  12,  1906.  from  Mr. 
F.  B.  Headley,  from  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  with  the  report  that  it  was 
eating  vetch  and  horse  beans.  It  was  associated  with  D.  baltcata  and 
D.  1 2-punctata .  Mr.  C.  S.  Spooner  observed  the  same  species  on 
squash  and  on  cotton  at  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  in  June,  1907. 

«  Trans.  Amer.  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  XX.  p.  91,  1893. 

b  Biol.  Centr.-Amer.,  Coleop.,  Phytophaga,  Vol.  VI,  Pt.  I,  1887,  fig.  20,  PI.  XXXII. 


NOTES  03     I  ill    CUCUMB1  i;    M  I  i 


69 


Following  i-  a  description  of  i  lie  e 

egg.  Opaque  buff,  the  surface  slightl}  or  apparently  pulverulent,  finel)  sculp- 
tured, and  ringed  in  many  deep  hexagonal  pita  ae  in  other  ;  The 
outline,  however,  is  extremely  irregular,  and  the 

length,  0.7  nun.;   w  idth,  0.5  nun. 

The  eggs  were  obtained   in  large  aumbers,  deposited  Bingrv  and 
distributed  over  the  lower  surface  of  cucumber  lenses.     The  i 
under  observation  were  deposited  June  24  to  July  3. 

This  species  (fig.  20)  belongs  to  the  same  Beries  as  D.  balteata  but 
to  B  group  in  which  the  antenna' 
have  the  second  and  third  joints 
small,  together  rarely  longer  than 
the  fourth.  The  elytra  or  wing- 
covers  are  ornamented  about  as  in 
D.  connexa,  hut  with  the  four  round- 
ish posterior  spots  forming  a  cres- 
cent. The  head  and  metathorax 
are  black,  as  are  the  hands  and  spots 
on  the  elytra.  The  thorax  varies 
from  dark  yellow  t  o  bright  red.  The 
hectic  measures  less  than  three- 
tenths  of  an  inch  (6.5  mm.)  in 
length. 

The  distribution  recorded  extends 
only  from  Texas  to  Mexico.     Horn 
doc.  cit.)    wrote    of    the    distribution,   ''Occurs    in    Texas,    locality 
unknown." 

THE  BELTED  CUCUMBER  BEETLE. 

(Diabrotica  balteata  Lee.) 

What  is  probably  the  first  record  of  injurious  attack  by  the  belted 
cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  balteata  Lee),  or,  indeed,  the  first  record 
of  any  food  plant  for  it,  was  made  in  1904  in  an  editorial  note  in 
Bulletin  44  of  this  Bureau  (p.  84).  Specimens  of  the  beetle  were 
received  from  Mr.  A.  L.  Herrera,  December  3,  1902,  with  the  report 
that  the  species  was  injurious  to  wheat  at  Salvatierra,  Guanajuato, 
Mexico. 

The  first  report  of  injury  in  tins  country  was  made  by  Mr.  F.  C. 
Pratt,  of  this  Bureau,  October  5-7,  1905,  while  at  Brownsville.  Tex. 
Mr.  Pratt  observed  the  adults  of  this  leaf-beetle  in  great  numbers 
on  beans,  com,  and  okra,  especially  in  the  blossoms,  and  on  cucum- 
bers. In  this  locality  it  practically  displaced  the  two  usually  more 
common  cucumber  beetles,  D.  12-punctata  Oliv.  and  D.  vittata  Fab. 
In  its  work  on  beans  it  resembles  the  bean  leaf-beetle  (Cerotoma 
trifurcata  Forst.).     The  same  species  was  observed  under  the  same 


Fig.  20.— The  painted  cucumber  beetle  Dia- 
brotica picticornis):  Beetle,  al>out  6  times 
natural  size.    (Original.) 


70 


SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 


conditions  at  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  October  13,  and  at  New  Braunfels, 
Tex.,  October  27. 

December  12,  1906,  this  species  was  received  at  the  Bureau  of 
Entomology  from  Mr.  F.  B.  Headlev,  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  with  the 
report  that  it  was  injuring  vetches  and  horse  beans.  It  was  asso- 
ciated with  Diabrotica  12-punctata  and  D.  jncticornis. 

June  15,  1907,  Mr.  C.  S.  Spooner,  while  working  under  the  writer's 
direction  at  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  found  numerous  beetles  of  this 
species  on  squash,  where  it  was  associated  with  D.  picticornis.  It 
was  also  noticed  on  cotton. 

During  1908,  Mr.  D.  K.  McMillan,  of  this  Bureau,  observed  this 
beetle   during  March   on   eggplant   at  Olmito,   Tex.,   eating  melon 


Fig.  21.— The  belted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  balteata):  a.  Pupa;  b.  anal  seg- 
ment of  same;  c,  beetle;  d,  eggs;  e,  much  enlarged  surface  of  same;  /,  anal 
segment  of  larva;  g,  larva,  dorsal  view,  c,  g,  About  6  times  natural  size;  a, 
d,  a  little  more  enlarged;  b,  e,  still  more  enlarged.    (Original.) 

leaves  at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  in  May,  and  on  beans  and  eggplant  at 
Harlingen,  Tex.,  in  November,  attacking  the  blooms. 
The  egg  of  this  species  may  be  described  as  follows: 

The  egg. — Pale  yellowish  buff,  with  the  surface  moderately  shining,  and  with  the 
usual  hexagonal  pits  well  defined  but  comparatively  shallow.  Form  somewhat  regu- 
lar oval,  corresponding  rather  closely  to  that  of  Diabrotica  rittata.  Length,  0.61  mm.; 
width,  0.35  mm. 

The  eggs  were  first  obtained,  July  1,  in  three  masses  deposited,  in 
confinement,  on  the  lower  surface  of  cucumber  leaves,  the  individual 
eggs  being  so  closely  applied  to  each  other  that  they  could  hardly 
be  separated  without  breaking  them. 

During  1910  Mr.  M.  M.  High  found  this  beetle  attacking  lettuce, 
cabbage,   and    onions   at    Brownsville,   Tex.     February   22   it   was 


NOTES  «>.\     i  ii  i    •  i  I  i    \i  in  R  BEETLES.  71 

observed  feeding  on  onions  on  the  farm  of  a  Mr.  Bass  ai  Lyford, 
Tex.  In  some  instances  the  adult  wb  ob  erved  ome  di  bancs 
toward  the  apes  and  on  the  inside  of  the  leaf.  A  bole  was  made  in 
the  middle  portion  of  the  leaf  jusl  large  enough  for  the  insect  to 
enter.  In  this  way  it  conceals  itself  and  feeds  quietly  from  the  inner 
side  of  the  onion  leaf. 

This  species,  with  the  others  here  considered,  belongs  to  what 
Horn  has  classified  as  Series  A  of  the  genus.  Thus  classified  they 
are  related  to  the  common  twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle  {D.  t2- 
punctata  Oliv.)-  The  characters  by  winch  they  are  separated  from 
Scries  B  and  C,  which  also  include  injurious  forms,  are  as  follows: 

The  elytra  or  wing-covers  are  irregularly,  not  closely  punctate; 
the  surface  is  without  impressed  Btrise  or  sulci  (channels);  the  tibiae 
or  shanks  have  a  distinct  carina  or  ridge  extending  the  entire  length 
of  the  outer  edge.  In  this  series  balieata  falls  into  a  second  group  in 
which  the  second  and  third  joints  of  the  antenna-  are  small,  together 
rarely  longer  than  the  fourth,  usually  shorter. 

The  beetle,  illustrated  by  figure  21,  c,  is  greenish  yellow  in  well- 
preserved  specimens,  with  red  head,  black  metathorax,  and  elytra 
ornamented  with  three  transverse  green  bands.  Sometimes  these 
bands  have  a  bluish  tint  and  frequently  also  are  almost  entirely 
lacking,  the  species  showing  great  variation  in  this  regard.  The 
length  is  from  one-fifth  to  one-fourth  of  an  inch  (5-6  mm.). 

The  distribution  accorded  by  Horn  is  from  Texas  southward 
through  Mexico  to  Colombia,  South  America,  but  that  it  can  occa- 
sionally extend  its  range  or  is  accidentally  carried  to  other  regions 
is  proved  by  a  specimen  which  the  writer  saw  when  it  was  collected 
at  Rosslyn,  Va. 

THE  WESTERN  TWELVE-SPOTTED  CUCUMBER  BEETLE. 

(Diabrotica  soror  Lee.) 
RECENT    INJURY. 

The  records  of  the  Bureau  of  Entomology  show  considerable 
injury  by  the  western  twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica 
soror  Lee.)  in  recent  years,  especially  in  1907  and  1908.  December 
11,  1906,  Mr.  Frederick  Maskew  wrote  that  of  the  insects  collected 
from  the  foliage  of  growing  beets  in  and  near  Oxnard,  Cal.,  this 
species  was  the  most  plentiful.  It  could  be  seen  in  myriads,  copu- 
lating freely  at  that  time.  Injury  sometimes  attributed  to  wire- 
worms  was,  he  believed — judging  from  the  description  of  the  damage, 
its  suddenness,  and  its  short  duration — probably  the  work  of  the 
larva  of  this  species. 

During  1907  complaint  was  received,  March  3,  from  Mr.  O.  W.  R. 
Tread  way,  Lodi,  Cal.,  of  injuries  to  melon,  cucumber,  squash,  beans, 

66513°— Bull.  82—12 G 


72  SOME    INSECTS   INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

and  corn;  August  4,  of  injury  to  cucumber  and  melon,  reported  by 
Mr.  S.  Halverson,  Gonzales,  Cal.;  August  7,  of  injury  to  cabbage, 
beans,  and  peas  at  Fort  Ross,  Cal.,  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Williams;  August  11, 
by  Prof.  E.  S.  G.  Titus  of  serious  injury  to  melons  at  Imperial  Junc- 
tion, Cal.,  for  that  and  the  previous  year.  September  2,  1907,  Mr. 
Williams  again  reported  injury  to  vegetables  at  Fort  Ross,  Cal., 
cabbage  being  badly  affected. 

Of  this  species,  Mr.  I.  J.  Condit,  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  Cal.,  wrote,  on 
September  6,  1907,  that  it  was  the  worst  pest  in  that  vicinity,  swarm- 
ing over  everything  and  evidently  having  no  choice  as  to  its  food. 
Gardeners  there  stated  that  they  could  not  grow  zinnas,  daisies,  and 
some  other  plants,  as  the  flowers  were  so  badly  eaten  that  they  were 
worthless.  The  blossoms  were  sprayed,  winch  protected  them,  but 
the  new  buds  opening  the  following  day  were  attacked  just  as  severely. 

In  1908,  Mr.  H.  O.  Marsh,  while  carrying  on  investigations  for  the 
Bureau  of  Entomology  at  Tustin  and  Garden  Grove,  Cal.,  reported, 
September  24,  injury  by  the  larvae  to  peanuts.  At  that  time  larvae, 
pupa?,  and  newly  formed  adults  were  common  in  soil  about  growing 
peanuts,  some  of  the  larva?  being  in  the  nuts  which  had  been  very 
badly  injured  by  this  species  and  a  species  of  Blapstinus.  Similar 
injury  was  noted  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Ott  at  Garden  Grove,  Cal.,  who  reported 
that  the  beetles  caused  him  considerable  trouble  by  nearly  ruining  a 
young  orange  grove  earlier  in  the  season. 

March  16  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  G.  E.  Beusel,  Oxnard,  Cal.,  sent 
specimens  of  this  beetle,  stating  that  it  wTas  attacking  beet  leaves. 
In  one  field  the  beetles  had  destroyed  a  very  good  stand  of  30  acres 
of  beets  in  a  few  days.  Our  correspondent  took  it  for  Diabrotica  12- 
punctata,  whose  larva  he  knew  developed  at  the  roots  of  grasses  and 
corn.  He  also  stated  that  he  did  not  think  that  there  was  a  practical 
remedy  to  check  the  work  of  the  beetles  of  this  insect  on  young  beets. 

April  16,  Mr.  Thomas  J.  Simpson,  Noyo,  Cal.,  wrote  in  regard 
to  this  insect  and  its  work  in  gardens  in  that  vicinity.  In  summer 
they  were  so  thick  that  they  ate  leaves  from  beans,  potatoes,  corn,  and 
other  plants.  A  remedy  was  desired  that  would  not  poison  the  vege- 
tables. Writing  of  this  species  April  24,  Mr.  Edward  M.  Ehrhorn,  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  stated  that  in  some  seasons  this  beetle  was  quite  a 
pest  in  orchards,  especially  on  young  trees,  and  that  at  times  it  also 
caused  much  damage  to  seed  farms.  The  parasitic  fly,  Celatoria 
diabroticse  Shinier,  in  certain  seasons  keeps  the  beetle  in  check, 
appearing  at  these  times  in  great  numbers,  probably  on  account  of 
weather  conditions. 

As  to  remedies,  he  thought  that  an  arsenical  dusted  on  the  plants 
would  be  preferable  to  an  arsenical  spray  in  treating  this  species  in 
beet  fields. 


NOTES   u.\     i  ii  i.   «  i  i   imi-.i  i;    B]  I   I  I  7-'') 

Mr.  Marsh  wrote  Further  of  this  species  and  its  occurrence  at  Tustin, 

( ';il.,i  I  i;it  the  peanuts  were  growing  in  sand)  Boil,  and  injury  w 
where  apparent,  but  thai   larvae  and  pupa  occurred  Septembei 

onlv  in  spots  in  the  beavier  sandy  s<>il.     Here  there  were  from  one 
to  twenty.     Usually, however, there  uric  from  three  to  five  to  ah 
every  plant.  Located  From  2  to  3  inches  below  the  surface.     Mo 
the  larvae  had  matured.    The  pupa1  wen-  Found  in  very  Fragile  cells, 
and  many  of  these  were  maturing,  and  there  were  many  adult 
the  Foliage  and  many  soft,  newly  Formed  ones  in  the  soil.     The  fact 
that   the  heavy  soil  is  more  moist   and  cooler  than  the  lighter  Band 
probably  accounts  For  the  later  maturing  of  the  beetles  in  such  loca- 
tions.    Up  to  December  17,  the  species,  according  to  Mr.  Marsh, 
had  not  gone  into  hibernation,  the  adults  being  still  moderately 
common  on  spinach,  lettuce,  mustard,  and 
other  plants.     They  were  flying  or  crawling 
about  quite  actively  during  the  warm  part 
of  the  day,  and  appeared  to  prefer  spinach 
as  a  food  plant. 

DESCRIPTIVE. 

The  beetle  of  this  species  (fig.  22)  differs 
from  the  common  twelve-spotted  cucumber 
beetle  (Diabrotica  12-punctata)  by  hav- 
ing the  entire  lower  surface  black.  In 
a  good  series  of  specimens  at  hand  it  is 
noticeable  that  even  in  preserved  speci- 
mens the  snecies  under  discussion  nresprves  FlG'  22— The  westem  twelve-spotted 
mens  Uie  species  Uliuei  UlSCUSSlOIl  piesei  ves         cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  soror): 

more   of  the  natural  green  Color  than   does         Female  beetle,  about  6  times  natural 

the  eastern  species.  The  twelve  spots  are  ske'  (0riginal) 
located  and  arranged  about  the  same  in  the  two  species,  but  in  D.  soror 
there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  the  union  of  at  least  one  pair  of  spots  on 
each  elytron  or  wing  cover.  The  pair  of  middle  spots  are  most  often 
confluent  or  united,  and  occasionally  both  the  middle  and  the  posterior 
spots  unite.  This  is  rare  in  the  eastern  species.  In  the  latter,  the 
lower  surface,  including  a  portion  of  the  femora,  is  yellow.  There  is 
no  great  difference  in  size,  but  the  eastern  species  will  average  a  little 
larger.  The  antennas  are  almost  piceous,  the  basal  three  joints  are 
slightly  paler,  and  the  thorax  is  less  transverse.  The  length  is  about 
6  millimeters. 

This  species  occurs  from  Oregon,  where  it  is  common,  southward 
through  California  to  Arizona,  and  perhaps  extends  into  Mexico. 

The  immature  stages  of  this  species  have  been  described  by  Mr. 
R.  W.  Doane.a 

aJourn.  N.  Y.  Ent.  Soc,  Vol.  V,  pp.  15-17,  1897. 


74 


SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 


As  nearly  as  can  be  made  out  without  having  fresh  specimens  of 
this  species  and  the  eastern  form  for  comparison,  there  is  only  slight 
difference  in  the  preparatory  stages. 

HABITS    AND    LIFE    HISTORY. 

According  to  the  author  quoted,  this  species  is  especially  injurious 
to  the  interests  of  florists,  the  beetles  eating  unsightly  holes  in  buds 
and  petals  of  roses,  chrysanthemums,  and  other  ornamental  flowers, 
feeding  also  on  the  leaves,  there  being  an  almost  unrestricted  range  of 
food  plants.  Orchardists  often  suffer  serious  losses  from  the  ravages 
of  the  beetles,  which  eat  into  young  forming  fruit  and  buds. 

In  Doane's  experience,  eggs  (see  fig.  23)  were  deposited  from  one- 
fourth  to  one-half  an  inch  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  near  the 
base  of  the  food  plant,  sometimes  singly,  but  usually  in  numbers  of 

between  from  twenty  to  fifty.  Eggs 
in  confinement  hatched  in  about  eight- 
een days  (temperature  not  stated). 
Larvae  of  various  sizes  were  taken 
about  the  roots  of  different  plants  in 
March,  April,  and  May,  these  obser- 
vations being  presumably  made  at 
Palo  Alto,  Cal.  It  was  noticeable 
that  the  larvae  did  not  bore  into  the 
roots,  as  do  our  eastern  species,  but 
ate  the  roots  from  the  outside,  some- 
times cutting  young  rootlets  entirely 
in  two.  They  were  found  in  abun- 
dance feeding  on  the  roots  of  sweet 
pea  and  alfalfa  and  sparingly  on  other  plants.  When  the  larva 
becomes  full  grown  it  approaches  the  surface  of  the  ground  and 
forms  an  oval  or  spherical  cell,  in  which  it  remains  ten  or  twelve  days 
before  transforming  to  the  pupa.  The  pupal  period  lasted  under 
observation  from  ten  to  fourteen  days.  Pupae  were  first  noticed 
early  in  April.  The  periods  will  vary  with  temperature,  and  there 
are  indications  of  a  second  generation  in  southern  California. 

OTHER    RECORDS    OF    INJURY. 

In  1880  mention  was  made  of  injury  by  this  species  to  the  fruit  of 
apricot  in  California.0  Injury  to  garden  plants  was  also  noted.  Men- 
tion was  made  of  great  destruction  to  fruits  and  vegetables  in  1890  in 
California.6  The  following  year  Mr.  Koebele  reported  injury  to 
young  corn  by  the  larvae  at  Alameda,  Cal.,  often  three  to  five  larvae 
being  observed  cutting  off  the  roots  of  a  single  plant. c     A  series  of 

a  Comstock:  Ann.  Rep.  Comm.  Agr.  for  1879  (1880),  p.  246. 

b  Koebele:  Bui.  22,  O.  S.,  Div.  Ent,,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  p.  87,  1890. 

c  Insect  Life,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  468,  1891. 


c 

Fig.  23.— The  western  twelve-spotted  cucum- 
ber beetle:  a,  Egg;  b,  small  egg  mass;  c,  d, 
sculpture  of  egg.  b,  Much  enlarged;  a,  very 
greatly  enlarged;  c,  d,  highly  magnified. 
(From  Webster,  unpublished.) 


NOTES  ON     I  ii  I.  CUCUMBER  BEETL1     .  75 

articles  was  published  on  this  species  from  1901  to  1902  bj  Mr.  E.J. 
Wickson."  There  are  also  in  the  Bureau  unpublished  account  of 
injury  to  orange  trees,  the  leaves  of  which  are  skeletonized. 

Two  natural  enemies  <>!'  this  species  have  been  observed;  one,  the 
tachina  fly,  Celatoria  diabrotica  Shim.,  also  described  as  Celatoria 
crawii  by  Mr.  Coquillett  in  L890.6  The  other  is  a  spider,  also  observed 
by  Mr.  Coquillett,  and  known  as  Xysticus  gulosus  Keys.* 

THE  WESTERN   STRIPED  CUCUMBER  BEETLE. 
Didbrotica  trivittata  Mann.  I 

The  western  striped  cucumber  beetle  {IHabroUca  trivittata  Mann.), 

which  is  very  closely   related  to  the  eastern  striped  CUCUmber  hectic 

(Diabrotica  vittata  Fab.),  is  common  throughout  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia and  extends  into  Oregon,  where  it  practically  replaces  the 
eastern  form,  although,  according  to  records,  it  is  not  nearly  so 
injurious.  We  have  indeed  few  records  of  injurious  occurrences. 
Since  1898,  however,  when  the  writer  recorded  injuries  by  this  species 
to  cucurbits,  there  have  been  scattered  reports  of  injuries  to  this 
class  of  plants,  all  of  which  it  attacks.  It  attracts  much  more  atten- 
tion when  it  occurs  on  fruit  trees,  and  has  been  accused  of  considerable 
injury  to  ripening  peaches  and  apricots.  Like  the  eastern  form,  also,  it 
is  found  associated  with  a  closely  related  species,  in  this  case  the  western 
twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle  just  considered.  From  the  striped 
cucumber  beetle  of  the  East  it  may  be  separated  chiefly  by  its  darker 
colors.  The  antennae  are  entirely  piceous,  the  thorax  bears  two 
coalescing  foveae,  and  the  legs,  with  the  exception  of  the  bases  of  the 
femora,  are  entirely  black. 

In  1903  we  received  report  of  injury  by  this  species  to  various 
plants  in  the  neighborhood  of  Dehesa,  Cal.,  and  in  July,  1905,  to  beans, 
cucumber,  squash,  and  the  silk  of  corn  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem,  Oreg. 
In  this  latter  locality  it  was  associated  with  the  common  Diabrotica 
soror  Lee.  August  11,  1907,  Prof.  E.  S.  G.  Titus  stated  that  melons 
had  been  seriously  injured  for  two  years  past  in  the  vicinity  of 
Imperial  Junction,  Cal.  During  that  year  and  in  succeeding  years 
this  species  was  found,  by  various  agents,  collaborators,  and  special 
correspondents  who  visited  the  sugar-beet  region  of  the  Pacific  States, 
in  sugar-beet  fields,  where,  however,  it  was  doing  no  serious  injury. 

°-  Pacific  Rural  Press,  June  30,  1900,  et  seq. 
b  Coquillett:  Insect  Life,  Vol.  II,  p.  233,  1890. 
cLoc.  cit.,  p.  74,  1890. 


BIOLOGIC  NOTES  ON  SPECIES  OF  DIABROTICA  IN 
SOUTHERN  TEXAS. 

By  H.  0.  Marsh, 
Agent  and  Expert. 

INTRODUCTION. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  year  1909,  while  engaged  in  an  investi- 
gation of  insects  injurious  to  truck  crops,  an  opportunity  was  pre- 
sented to  make  a  study  of  the  species  of  leaf-beetles  of  the  genus 
Diabrotica  occurring  at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  and  vicinity. 

In  the  present  paper  the  species  considered  are  Diabrotica  balteata, 
D.  picticornis,  D.  vittata,  and  D.  12-punctata.  The  first  two  species 
are  rather  more  abundant  in  Texas  than  elsewhere  in  the  United 
States,  this  being  especially  true  of  the  second.  The  other  species 
have  a  more  general  distribution. 

I  am  under  obligations  to  Mr.  D.  K.  McMillan  for  the  descriptions 
of  the  early  stages  of  D.  balteata  and  to  the  late  Dr.  C.  F.  Wheeler,  of 
the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  for  identification  of  the  food  plants 
mentioned  in  the  text. 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  DIABROTICA  PICTICORNIS  Horn. 

The  painted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  picticornis  Horn)  was 
extremely  rare  in  southern  Texas  during  the  season  of  1909,  and  only 
occasional  specimens  were  observed,  although  during  May  and  June, 
1908,  Mr.  McMillan  noted  them  in  abundance  at  Brownsville,  Tex., 
eating  the  blossoms  and  foliage  of  cucurbits,  especially  that  of  Hub- 
bard squash. 

During  1909  the  first  specimen,  a  female,  was  taken  March  1  on  a 
Verbesina  blossom.  March  15  a  female  was  taken  feeding  on  cucum- 
ber foliage  and  continued  in  captivity  until  May  22,  but  she  deposited 
no  eggs.  April  15,  a  half  dozen  individuals  were  observed  on  cym- 
lings.  The  females  appeared  to  be  well  filled  with  eggs.  Of  two 
which  were  placed  in  confinement  at  that  date,  one  was  still  living 
June  14,  but  neither  deposited  eggs. 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  DIABROTICA  BALTEATA  Lee. 

The  belted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  balteata  Lee.)  is  active  dur- 
ing the  entire  year  in  southern  Texas,  and  is  by  far  the  most  injurious 
and  common  Diabrotica  in  the  lower  Rio  Grande  valley.     It  is  almost 
omnivorous  and  injuries  caused  by  it  are  thus  widely  distributed  and 
76 


BIOLOGK      N0TE8  ON  8PECIE8  01     DIABBOTICA.  7  7 

less  aoticeable  than  thej  would  be  if  the  specie*  wen-  b  more  daintj 
feeder.     The  truck  growers  in   the  rallej    vie\n    this  specie 
unavoidable  evil  and  make  Little  effort  to  combat  it.     They  have  qo 
distinctive  name  for  it,  and  it  is  nol  unusual  to  hear  it  mentioned  as 
"spotted  green-bug, "  "tomato  bug,"  "pumpkin  bug,"  or  "ladybug." 

FOOD     I'l.ANTS. 

This  hectic  is  primarily  b  truck  crop  pest  and  has  been  observed 
actually  feeding  on  string  beans,  lima  beans,  English  broad  beans 

tomatoes,  potatoes,  eggplant,  pepper,  turnip,   peas,  peanuts,  squash 

cantaloupe,  eucumher,  watermelon,  pumpkin,  okra,  spinach,  beets, 
lettuce,  asparagus,  and  sweet  corn.  Among  field  crops  attacked  are 
corn,  sorghum,  alfalfa,  cotton,  cowpea,  soy  bean,  and  vetch,  and 
Desmodium  tortuosum.  There  is  one  recorded  instance  of  its  injuring 
tender  fig  and  orange  leaves  and  it  was  found  feeding  on  the  foliage 
of  Sesbania  aculeata  and  Cajanus  indicus  and  on  the  blossoms  of 
Doliclws  atropurpureus.  A  favorite  wild  food  plant  is  Verbesina 
encelioides.  The  beetles  gather  in  great  numbers  on  exposed  tubers 
of  TberviUea  lindheimeri  and  more  rarely  feed  on  Amaranth  is  retro- 
flexus  and  A.  spinosus.  They  also  feed  on  the  blossoms  and  foliage  of 
Solarium  elseagnifolium  and  Helianthus. 

CHARACTER   OF    INJURY. 

Among  the  truck  crops  mentioned  beans  of  several  varieties  are 
often  seriously  injured,  many  blossoms  being  destroyed,  and  some- 
times young  and  tender  plants  are  entirely  killed.  With  eggplant, 
tomatoes,  and  cucurbits,  not  only  are  the  foliage  and  blossoms 
attacked,  but  the  unopened  blossom  buds  are  eaten  into  and  thus 
many  incipient  fruits  are  destroyed.  Injury  is  particularly  severe 
with  eggplant,  where  many  blossoms  are  ruined.  The  silk  and 
unripe  kernels,  as  well  as  foliage,  of  corn  are  eaten  and  the  young 
corn  plants  are  often  badly  riddled. 

The  larvae  were  found  feeding  on  corn,  sorghum,  and  string  beans. 
In  the  case  of  corn  and  sorghum  they  feed  on  the  larger  roots  and  bore 
into  the  crown,  while  with  beans  they  scrape  the  main  stalk  below  the 
surface  of  the  soil.  Injury  by  the  larvae  did  not  seem  serious  with 
any  plants  on  which  they  were  found. 

RECORDS    OF   OCCURRENCE. 

During  the  middle  of  January,  1909,  a  freeze  occurred  in  the  lower 
Rio  Grande  valley  which  killed  practically  all  tender  vegetat  ion .  except 
in  sheltered  spots.  On  January  25  a  good-sized  patch  of  Verbesina 
encelioides  that  had  escaped  freezing  was  thickly  infested  with  the 
adults,  which  were  feeding  eagerly. 

About  twenty  nearly  mature  larvae  were  found  February  5  feeding 
at  the  roots  of  sorghum  at  Harlingen,  Tex.     These  were  placed  in 


78  SOME    INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

a  rearing  jar  and  one  made  its  cell  February  11,  pupated  on  February 
16,  and  the  adult  developed  February  27.  Adults  continued  to  issue 
until  March  5. 

The  beetles  were  abundant  at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  February  6,  on 
string  beans  which  they  nearly  defoliated.  February  11,  a  half- 
grown  larva  was  found  feeding  at  the  base  of  a  string  bean  plant. 

Adults  were  observed  feeding  on  tender  fig  leaves  at  Santa  Maria, 
Tex.,  February  24. 

March  5  about  twenty  eggs  were  found  at  the  base  of  string  bean 
plants.  The  female  beetles  had  evidently  gone  down  in  cracks  in  the 
earth  as  far  as  possible  and  oviposited  in  the  loose  soil  from  1  inch 
to  2 J  inches  below  the  surface  and  from  J  inch  to  2  inches  from  the 
plant.  The  eggs  were  placed  singly  as  a  rule,  but  a  few  were  in 
clusters  of  from  two  to  five.  No  larvae  were  observed  at  this  date. 
The  beetles  were  fairly  common  and  some  pairs  were  mating. 

Eggs  were  found  about  young  sweet  corn  March  15,  placed  in  the 
loose  soil  at  the  base  of  the  plants,  singly  and  in  clusters  of  four  or 
five.    Twenty  eggs  were  found  about  one  small  plant. 

The  beetles  were  reported  seriously  injuring  young  pepper  and 
okra  at  Mercedes,  Tex.,  April  15. 

They  were  numerous  on  lima  beans  a  week  later,  attacking  chiefly 
the  large  first  leaves  and  cutting  large  holes  in  them.  It  appears  that 
they  return  repeatedly  to  the  same  leaf  and  eat  a  large  area  at  one 
place.  April  26  a  nearly  mature  larva  was  found  feeding  on  the 
roots  of  sweet  corn. 

During  May  the  beetles  were  present  in  moderate  numbers.  On  the 
10th  some  were  observed  feeding  on  buds  of  tomato  and  on  squash 
foliage.  Females,  with  abdomens  distended  with  eggs,  were  present, 
and  one  or  two  of  these  which  were  placed  in  confinement  deposited 
eggs  on  the  12th. 

May  27  the  adults  were  fairly  common  on  alfalfa,  cotton,  tomatoes, 
and  English  broad  beans. 

NOTES    ON    LIFE    HISTORY. 

Beginning  with  March  1  an  effort  was  made  to  work  out  the  life 
history  of  this  species.  The  record  for  a  generation  at  this  time 
follows : 

Life-history  record  of  a  single  adult  female  of  Diabrotica  balteata  confined  March  1,  1909. 

March  1 Female  confined  in  rearing  jar. 

March  3 37  eggs  deposited. 

March  12 37  eggs  hatched. 

April  1 First  larvse  made  cells. 

April  7 First  larvae  pupated. 

April  18 First  adults  developed . 

April  20 First  adults  issued  from  cells. 

April  21 Last  of  adults  issued,  of  which  24  developed. 


BIOLOGIC    NOT!  S    u.\    SPK<   II  -    "I     l>l  \li|{()  I  l<    \. 


1 1  it*  above  record  tin*  stages  are  as  follow 


l  an  al  stage 
Pupal  Btage. 

Total. 


The  mature  larvae  remained  quiescent  in  the  cells  for  6  days  before 
pupating,  and  the  beetles  were  in  the  cells  from  2  t<>  3  days  before 
issuing.  The  adults  begin  to  feed  as  booii  as  they  leave  the  cells, 
although  they  are  still  soft  and  light  colored  for  from  3  to  5  days. 
No  pupae  were  found  in  nature,  but  in  the  rearing  jars  the  larvae, 
when  mature,  burrowed  into  the  soil  from  j  inch  to  2  or  3  inches  and 
formed  cells  by  wriggling  about.  The  larvae  and  pupae  were  very 
tender  and  were  easily  killed  if  handled  at  all  roughly  or  if  the  Boil 
in  the  cages  became  dry.  A  moderately  moist  condition  appeared  to 
be  most  favorable. 

Three  females,  which  were  placed  in  confinement  during  the  first 
days  of  March,  deposited  respectively  during  one  day  as  follow-:  23, 
45,  and  48  eggs.  The  incubation  period  of  these  eggs  varied  from  9 
to  11  days.  One  of  these  lots  was  carried  through  with  the  following 
results: 

Day  ^. 

Egg  stage 9 

Larval  stage 25 

Pupal  stage 11 

Total 45 

On  April  21,  8  adults  which  issued  in  the  rearing  jars  between 
April  18  and  April  21  were  put  together  into  one  cage,  with  foliage  of 
Verbesina,  to  breed. 

Record  of  8  adults  of  Diabrotica  balteata  which  had  issued  in  rearing  jars  April  IS  to  21, 
1909,  and  confined,  April  21,  in  one  cage  with  foliage  of  Verbesina,  to  breed. 


1909. 

M*ted-  j  SS&    D"d- 

Escaped. 

April  24.... 
April  28.... 

April  30 

May   14.... 
May   18.... 

Total  .. 

0 
0 
2 
0 
0 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

1 

1 

(«) 

1 

2 

1 

2     ,                 0              5 

1 

a  Taken  out;  see  table  following. 

Xone  of  the  beetles  deposited  any  eggs,  nor  were  they  observed 
mating. 


80  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

The  record  for  the  pair  which  mated  April  30  is  as  follows: 

Record  of  egg  deposition  of  a  single  female  of  Diabrotica  balteata, 
which  mated  April  30,  1909  a 


1909. 

Number 
of  eggs. 

May  8 

May  19 

May  21 

May  24 

May  26 

Total 

39 
6 
23 
14 
16 

98 

a  May  31,  male  died;  June  2,  female  died. 

This  gives  a  total  of  98  eggs  from  one  female.     The  life  of  the 
male  was  43  days  and  that  of  the  female  45  days. 

The  record  for  the  39  eggs  deposited  May  8  is  as  follows: 

Detailed  record  for  the  39  eggs  of  Diabrotica  balteata  deposited  May  8,  1909. 

May  8 39  eggs  deposited. 

May  13 39  eggs  hatched. 

May  23 First  larvae  made  cells. 

May  27 First  larvae  pupated. 

June  1 First  adults  developed. 

June  2 First  adults  issued  from  cells. 

June  4 All  adults  had  issued. 

The  stages  were: 

Days. 

Egg  stage 5 

Larval  stage 14 

Pupal  stage 5 


Total. 


24 


The  larvae  of  this  species  were  confined  in  large  jelly  glasses  and 
in  large  vials  and  fed  with  sections  of  sorghum  cane.  Of  the  three 
species  reared  (Diabrotica  balteata,  D.  vittata,  and  D.  12 -punctata), 
Diabrotica  balteata  was  by  far  the  most  hardy,  and  this  probably 
accounts  for  its  abundance  as  compared  with  D.  vittata  and  D. 
12-punctata. 

Records  showed  that  one  lot  matured  March  1,  a  second  April  IS, 
and  a  third  June  1.  Mr.  McMillan  found  the  beetles  in  greatest 
abundance  during  November  and  December.  Judging  from  this  and 
from  the  rearing  records,  there  may  be  at  least  six  generations,  and 
probably  one  or  two  more  each  year. 

Occasional  mutilated  beetles  were  found  lying ,  on  cucurbit  and 
other  leaves  and  had  evidently  been  killed  by  some  predaceous 
insects.  Many  specimens  dissected  during  May  showed  no  internal 
parasites. 

The  temperatures  at  Brownsville  during  January,  February,  and 
March  ranged  from  a  minimum  of  29°  F.  to  a  maximum  of  95.1°  F. 


BIOU  >GI<      NOTES   ON    SI'l  l  IKS   01     hi  VBRO  I  l<    \. 


-  I 


The  extreme  minimum  of  29  de  ccurred  onl)   <»n  one  or  tu<> 

day 8  during  "northers/' and  excepting  those  IVu  day*  the  minimum 
did  nut  gel  below   10  degrees.     During  April  and  M.i\  the  rai 
from  a  minimum  of  16    P.  to  a  maximum  of  95.5    F.    The  avei 
temperature  during  these  five  months  was  as  follows: 

Average  temperatures  at  BrovmsvilU     1  fin  January  to  May,  1909. 


L900. 

maxi- 
mum. 

mini- 
mum. 

January 

February 

March 

April 

°  F. 
75.  :\ 

81.7 

°  F. 
55  0 

May 

85.0          70. 1 

The  following  description  of  the  earlier  stages  was  prepared   by 

Mr.  McMillan  from  living  material: 

DESCRIPTION. 

Egg.— Palo  yellow,  oval  and  regularly  elliptical,  very  finely  sculptured,  about  0.6 
mm.  lout:  by  0.33  nun.  wide. 

\.  ly  hatched  larva. — Pale  yellow,  head  light  brownish,  anal  segment  lighl  gray. 
Slender,  with  head  and  thoracic  segments  broader  than  rest  of  body,  except  anal 
segment,  which  is  covered  by  a  shield  flattened  and  rounded  at  posterior  margin. 
Body  sparsely  covered  with  short,  colorless  hairs  which  in  length  are  about  one-half 
diameter  of  body.     Length,  2.25  mm.;  width,  0.25  mm. 

Matur,  larva. — Light  yellow,  head  and  anal  plate  light  brownish.  Body  slender, 
dorsal  and  ventral  surfaces  smooth,  longitudinal  wrinkles  provided  with  scattered 
hairs  od  lateral  surfaces.  A  few  short  hairs  on  head  and  anal  segment.  Head  Blightly 
Longer  than  wide,  flattened.     Length,  when  extended,  12  mm.;  width,  1.25  mm. 

Pupa. — Light  yellow,  concolorous.  Body  rather  long,  oval  in  general  outline, 
abdomen  tapering  slightly.  A  few  scattered  hairs  on  head  and  abdomen.  A  pair  <>f 
stout  spines  on  dorsal  surface  of  anal  segment  and  a  pair  of  fleshy  tubercle;-  on  ventral 
surface  of  same.     Length,  5  mm.;  width,  2.5  mm.     [D.  K.  McMillan]. 


EXPERIMENTS    WITH    REMEDIES. 

Arsenate  of  load  appears  to  be  an  excellent  remedy  for  tins  pest, 
as  is  shown  by  the  following  records: 

During  November,  1908,  Mr.  McMillan  sprayed  one-tenth  of  an 
acre  of  tomatoes,  which  wTere  being  damaged  by  this  Diabrotica,  with 
arsenate  of  lead  at  the  rate  of  6  pounds  to  100  gallons  of  water,  and 
with  pyrox,  a  commercial  brand  of  combined  arsenate  of  lead  and 
Bordeaux  mixture,  at  the  rate  of  8  pounds  to  100 gallons.  The  results 
from  both  insecticides  were  very  good,  no  differences  being  noted 
between  them. 

February  8,  1909,  a  patch,  about  one-twentieth  of  an  acre  in 
extent,  of  tender-leaved  string  beans  was  being  rapidly  defoliated 
by  this  species  at  Brownsville,  Tex.     With  the  exception  of  two 


82  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS  TO   TRUCK    CROPS. 

check  rows,  the  entire  patch  was  sprayed  by  the  writer  with  arse- 
nate of  lead  at  the  rate  of  10  pounds  to  100  gallons  of  water.  This 
rather  excessive  strength  of  arsenate  was  used  in  order  to  determine 
its  effect  on  the  foliage,  whicli  was  very  tender.  At  the  time  of 
spraying  the  beetles  were  in  great  abundance,  from  one  to  six  indi- 
viduals being  present  on  every  plant.  The  results  of  this  treatment 
were  checked  up  February  11.  At  that  date  the  sprayed  plants 
were  almost  entirely  free  from  beetles,  only  an  occasional  specimen 
being  seen  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaves.  The  defoliation  of  the 
plant  was  almost  completely  checked,  and  there  was  no  burning 
from  the  arsenate.  The  plants  in  the  check  rows  were  almost  com- 
pletely defoliated.  The  beetles,  however,  were  not  nearly  so  numer- 
ous as  they  were  on  February  8  when  the  other  plants  were  sprayed. 
This  decrease  in  numbers  was  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  many 
beetles  were  killed  by  eating  the  poisoned  plants  in  the  adjoining 
rows.  Unfortunately,  a  few  days  later  the  entire  patch  of  beans  was 
destroyed  by  a  " norther"  and  no  further  observations  could  be  made. 
On  March  20  this  species,  in  company  with  Diabrotica  vittata,  was 
injuring  young  cucurbits  at  Brownsville.  Mr.  H.  H.  Jobson  had 
these  plants  sprayed  with  a  combination  of  Bordeaux  mixture  and 
arsenate  of  lead  (6  pounds  arsenate  of  lead  to  100  gallons  of  Bordeaux 
mixture)  and  later  he  reported  good  results  from  the  treatment. 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  DIABROTICA  VITTATA  Fab. 

Next  in  order  of  importance,  from  an  economic  standpoint,  is  the 
striped  cucumber  beetle  {Diabrotica  vittata  Fab.).  This  species  is 
usually  rare  in  southern  Texas  as  compared  with  D.  baltcata  and  its 
injuries  are  confined  to  cucurbits. 

The  first  occurrence  of  this  species  in  southern  Texas  recorded  is 
for  January  26,  when  adults  were  found  in  squash  blossoms  at  Browns- 
ville. Occasional  adults  were  observed  during  February,  and  on 
March  6  complaint  was  received  from  a  grower  near  Brownsville, 
where  the  beetles  were  injuring  cucumbers  and  melons,  from  one  to 
five  beetles  being  present  on  many  plants.  At  this  date,  also,  a 
similar  report  was  received  from  Mercedes,  Tex. 

Mr.  A.  M.  White,  of  Mercedes,  later  reported  that  he  completely 
controlled  this  species,  which  was  seriously  injuring  cucurbits,  by 
spraying  three  times  with  arsenate  of  lead  at  the  rate  of  6  pounds  in 
1 00  gallons  of  water. 

The  beetles  were  causing  noticeable  injury  to  cucurbits  at  Browns- 
ville March  20.  The  plants  were  sprayed,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
H.  H.  Jobson,  with  a  combination  of  6  pounds  arsenate  of  lead  and 
100  gallons  Bordeaux  mixture  with  successful  results. 

April  13,  the  writer  found  larvae  in  numbers  infesting  squash  plants 
at  McAllen,  Tex.     Some  plants  were  wilting  and  many  of  the  roots 


BIOI>  M,h      \.  1 1  i  J  ON   BPE(  IES  O]     Dl  \r.i;«>  I  [I   \. 

were  found  i«>  have  been  scraped  nearly  bare,  and  in  a  Few  cases  the 
larvae  had  buried  themselves  in  the  main  root.  All  observed  were 
nearly  mature.  One  larva  made  a  cell  April  17,  pupated  April  21, 
and  the  adult  developed  April  28.     Other  beetles  developed  April  •'!') 

and   May    I . 

During  May  beetles  were  observed,  bui  no  Injun  wras  noticed  <,r 
reported. 

June  in  the  beetles  were  abundant  at  Mc Allen,  Tex.,  feeding  on 
tlif  foliage  and  rinds  i^\'  watermelons  and  disfiguring  some  of  the 
melons.  The  foliage  in  some  places  was  badly  riddled,  hut  the  crop 
was  so  far  advanced  thai  this  caused  Little  damage.  Many  beetles 
hid  during  the  middle  of  the  day  among  cabbage  and  Amaranthus 
Leaves  for  protection  from  the  >un. 

The  life  history  of  one4  generation  of  this  species  was  worked  out 
as  follows: 

Record  of  a  single  female  of  Diabrotica  vittata  placed  in  confinement  April  .'>,.  1909. 

April  26 Placed  in  confinement. 

May  2 42  eggs  deposited. 

May  10 42  eggs  hatched. 

May  21 First  larva1  made  cells. 

May  24 First  larvae  pupai  <  <  1 

May  29 First  adults  developed. 

May  30 First  adults  issued. 

June  2 All  adults  had  issued. 

The  stages  wore  as  follows: 

Days. 

Egg  stage 8 

Larval  stage 14 

Pupal  stage 5 

Total 27 

The  mature  larvae  were  in  the  cells  three  days  before  pupating  and 
the  adults  remained  in  the  cells  from  one  to  four  days  before  issuing. 
The  first  pair  of  these  beetles  mated  June  4.  and  the  first  eggs,  20  in 
number,  were  deposited  June  11. 

On  May  3  another  female  deposited  58  eggs  and  the  following 
record  was  obtained: 

Days. 

Egg  stage 7 

Larval  stage L5 

Pupal  stage 5 

Total 27 

During  the  first  weeks  of  May,  when  this  species  was  being  reared, 
there  was  a  period  of  excessive  humidity.  The  larvae  were  supplied 
with  sections  of  cucumber  vine  as  food.  The  humidity  caused  this 
food  to  decay  very  rapidly  and  this  necessitated  frequent  renewal, 
and  as  a  result  many  larvae  died  and  only  a  relatively  small  propor- 
tion was  carried  to  maturity.     The  temperature  during  May,  1909, 


84 


SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 


as  recorded  at  the  local  weather  station,  ranged  from  a  minimum  of 
60.9°  F.  to  94.4°  F. 

Observation  has  not  been  carried  far  enough  to  enable  the  writer 
to  state  positively  the  number  of  generations  in  this  region. 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  DIABROTICA  DUODECIMPUNCTATA  Oliv. 

The  twelve-spotted  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  duodecimpunctata 
Oliv.)  occurs  only  in  small  numbers  in  southern  Texas,  and  no  com- 
plaints of  injury  were  received  concerning  it. 

On  February  5  four  mature  larvae  were  found  feeding  on  the  roots 
of  sorghum  at  Harlingen,  Tex.  February  7  one  of  these  made  its 
cell;  on  the  15th  it  pupated,  and  on  the  25th  the  adult  developed. 
The  other  beetles  developed  a  day  or  two  later. 

On  May  12  a  female  with  greatly  distended  abdomen  was  placed  in 
confinement  and  deposited  eggs  as  follows: 

Record  of  egg  deposition  of  a  single  female  beetle  of  Diabrotica  duodecimpunctata  in  con- 
finement May  12,  1909. 


1909. 

Number 
of  eggs. 

1909. 

Number 
of  eggs. 

68 
75 
63 
67 
55 
110 

May  29 

38 
19 
20 
(a) 

May  16 

May  19 

June  6 

May  24 

June  8 

Total 

May  27.......... '. 

515 

a  Beetle  died. 


This  gives  a  grand  total  of  515  eggs  from  one  beetle. 

The  record  for  the  eggs  which  were  deposited  May  14  is  as  follows: 

Detailed  record  for  the  68  eggs  of  Diabrotica  duodecimpuncta 't.  deposited  May  14,  1909. 

May  14 68  eggs  deposited . 

May  20 68  eggs  hatched. 

May  31 First  larvae  made  cells. 

June  4 First  larvae  pupated . 

June  10 First  adults  developed. 

June  12 First  adults  issued  from  cells. 

June  14 All  adults  had  issued. 

The  stages  were  as  follows: 

Days. 

Egg  stage 6 

Larval  stage 15 

Pupal  stage 6 

Total 27 


This  species  proved  very  hard  to  rear  and  only  a  small  proportion 
of  the  larvae  reached  the  pupal  stage.  The  larvae  were  placed  in  large 
jelly  glasses  and  fed  on  sorghum  cane. 


17.  b    D.   \     !'•    I  .  Bui. 82,  Pari  vir. 

SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 


NOTES    ON    VARIOUS    TRUCK-CROP   INSECTS. 

l'.\    F.  II.  Chittenden,  Be.  I». 
Jn  Chargi  of  Truck  Crop  and  Stored  Product  Insect  Investigations. 

ON  THE  NATURAL  ENEMIES  OF  THE  COLORADO  POTATO  BEETLE. 

SO.MK     INSF.CT    ENEMIES    OF    THE    POTATO     BEETLE. 

Few.  it"  any.  noxious  insects  have  so  mam'  recorded  natural  enemies 
as  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  (Leptinotarsa  decemlineatu  Say  .  A 
list  of  these  has  been  recently  compiled  by  the  writer."  A  few  species 
not  previously  recorded  have  since  been  reported  by  special  corre- 
spondents and  agents  of  this  office,  and  these  will  be  mentioned  here. 

Pterostichus  lucublandus  Say. 

July  3,  1908,  Mr.  J.  Byron  Roney,  Plainville,  Mass.,  sent  specimens 
of  the  ground  beetle  Pterostichus  lucublandus  Say  and  reported  that 
it  was  found  on  that  date  busily  engaged  in  devouring  the  grub-  of 
the  Colorado  potato  beetle.  Although  this  is  an  extremely  common 
insect,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  Carabidse,  it  has  not  hereto- 
fore, to  the  writer's  knowledge,  been  recorded  as  an  enemy  of  the 
potato  beetle. 

Apateticus  (Podisus)  marginiventris  Say. 

Apateticus  (Podisus)  marginiventris  Say,  which  closely  resembles 
the  spined  soldier-bug  (P.  maculiventris  Say),  a  well-known  enemy 
of  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  and  other  injurious  insects,  was  <>1>- 
served  attacking  the  larvae  of  this  potato  beetle  by  Mr.  II.  O.  Marsh, 
Chester,  N.  J.,  in  August,  1908. 

Perilloides  (Perillus)  BIOCULATI  s    I'm;. 

Perilloides  (Perillus)  bioculatus  Fab.,  a  pentatomid  bug,  as  is  the 
preceding  species,  was  reported  by  Mr.  1).  II.  Shannon,  Appleton, 
Wis.,  as  having  been  noted  killing  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  in 
August,  1908.  Two  bugs  were  noticed  attacking  a  mature  beetle. 
They  held  it  by  the  head  and  refused  to  relinquish  their  prey  when 
the  beetle  was  pulled  off  from  the  potato  stalk  on  which  it  was  feeding. 

«  Cir.  87,  Bur.  Ent.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  pp.  10-12,  June  3,  1907. 

85 


86 


SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 


EUTHYRHYNCHUS    FLORIDANUS    L. 

July  7,  1909,  Mr.  Fred.  A.  Eigenman,  Abbeville,  S.  C,  sent  speci- 
mens of  Euihyrhynchus  floridanus  L.,  which  he  had  found  that  morn- 
ing on  eggplant.  When  discovered  the  insect  was  attacking  the 
larva  of  the  Colorado  potato  beetle.  As  this  was  a  new  observation 
t<»  Mr.  Eigenman,  he  promptly  apprised  this  office  of  the  fact.  This 
species  is  not  uncommon  in  the  Southern  States,  and  specimens 
have  been  frequently  received  for  determination,  with  notes  on 
habits,  from  South  Carolina,  Florida,  and  Georgia. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  the  species  is  beneficial,  although  there  is 
a  possibility  that  it  may  feed  also  on  plant  juices  exceptionally, 
as  is  known  to  be  the  case  with  some  related  forms. 

In  looking  over  the  files  of  the  Bureau  it  is  found  that  this  species 

was  reported  from  Lanford,  Laurens 
County,  S.  C,  June  24,  1887,  by  Mr. 
Y.  N.  Lanford,  who  stated  that  he 
found  the  insect  to  be  a  bee  destroyer. 
While  sweeping  off  webs  and  other 
refuse  from  a  bee  bench  and  "gums" 
(colloquial  for  box  hives),  he  noticed 
one  of  these  bugs  with  its  beak  in- 
serted into  the  abdomen  of  a  honey 
bee,  just  above  the  sting.  He  did 
not  know,  however,  to  what  extent 
the  insect  attacks  the  bees.a  During 
1901  Mr.  H.  Walter  McWilliams, 
Griffin,  Ga.,  sent  specimens  with  a 
letter  dated  October  28,  stating  that 
the  species  occurred  in  some  numbers 
on  catnip. 

During  1907-8  Mr.  H.  M.  Russell 
observed  this  bug  attacking  the  green 
plant-bug  (Nezara  hilaris  Say)  on 
eggplant  at  Dade  City,  Fla.,  and  the  black  walnut  caterpillar  (Datana 
integerrima  G.  and  R.)  on  pecan  at  Orlando,  Fla. 

This  species  is  a  tropical  form  and  is  recorded  as  occurring  also  at 
New  Orleans,  La.,  in  Mexico,  and  Central  America  generally,  as  well 
as  in  Venezuela,  Colombia,  and  Brazil.  A  full  bibliography  was  fur- 
nished in  1880  by  W.  L.  Distant.6  It  has  many  synonyms,  which  is 
to  be  accounted  for  by  its  wide  distribution  and  variability.  The 
mature  bug  measures  between  one-half  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
in  length.  The  usual  color  is  green  above,  spotted  with  red,  the 
spots  being  arranged  more  or  less  as  shown  in  the  accompanying 
illustration  (fig.  24).     Individuals  occur  also  without  red  markings, 

"Mention  of  this  bug  attacking  the  honey  bee  is  given  in  Insect  Life,  Vol.  I,  p.  88, 
Sept.,  1888. 
&  Biologia Centrali-Americana,  Hemiptera-Heteroptera,  Vol.  I,  pp.  41-42,  Oct.,  1880. 


Fig.  2A.—Euthyrhynchus  floridanus,  an  enemy 
of  the  Colorado  potato  beetle.  Enlarged. 
(Original.) 


NOTES  OS    7ABIOUS  IBUOS-CBOF   []  81 

some  bear  a  Bingle  Bpol  at  the  apes  of  the  scutellum,  while  a  common 
form  has  one  apical  and  two  basal  scutellar  red  pot  \  large  por 
tioo  of  the  lower  Burface  la  reddish  yellow.  The  rostrum  or  beak  ii 
about  half  the  length  of  the  entire  body. 

Mi-.  Thomas  Belt,  in  his  publication0  referring  to  this  l>u.Lr  as  Pen- 
tatoma  punicea,  states  that  on  two  occasions  he  found  it  Bucking  the 
juices  from  dead  individuals  of  a  "bright  green  rose  chafer.11  Since 
the  beetle  was  twice  the  size  and  weight  of  the  bug,  very  active  and 
taking  wing  quickly,  he  concluded,  quite  correctly,  that  "the  onlj 
way  in  which  the  latter  could  have  been  overcome  was  by  the  bug 
creeping  up  and  quietly  introducing  the  point  of  its  sharp  proboscis 
between  the  rings  of  its  body  when  the  beetle  was  Bleeping,  and 
injecting  some  stupefying  poison."  In  both  instances  the  bug  was 
on  a  leaf  of  a  shrub  with  the  bulky  beetle  hanging  over  suspended  on 
the  bug's  proboscis. 

SOME    WILD    BIRD    ENEMIES    OF   THE    POTATO    BEETLE. 

As  the  list  of  wild  birds  known  to  feed  on  the  Colorado  potato 
beetle  furnished  in  Circular  No.  87  is  not  quite  complete,  the  fol- 
lowing note  from  a  list  compiled  by  Air.  W.  L.  McAtee,  and  published 
in  1908,  is  of  interest. 

Speaking  of  the  food  habits  of  the  grosbeaks,  Mr.  McAtee  say- 
"It  should  be  noted  also  that  several  other  birds,  including  the  bob- 
white,  prairie  chicken,  sharp-tailed  and  ruffed  grouse,  red-tailed 
hawk,  nighthawk,  cuckoo,  crow,  English  sparrow,  cardinal,  scarlet 
tanager,  wood,  hermit,  and  olive-backed  thrushes,  and  robin,  cat 
potato  beetles  occasionally." 

June  20,  1910,  Mr.  B.  A.  Reynolds,  of  this  Bureau,  noticed  a  bird, 
which  he  identifies  as  the  chipping  sparrow,  apparently  capturing 
larvae  of  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  on  potato  plants  in  his  garden 
at  East  Riverdale,  Md.  When  observed  it  was  flitting  or  hopping 
along  the  ground,  attacking  the  "slugs"  from  the  stalk  of  the  potato 
plants,  taking  as  many  as  four  or  five  from  one  plant  and  then  pro- 
ceeding to  the  next  in  the  row.  Later  the  bird  crossed  at  different 
times  to  other  parallel  rows,  repeating  the  operation.  No  other 
bird  common  in  this  vicinity  is  known  to  have  this  habit  of  running 
from  row  to  row  in  garden  patches  as  described,  and  although  this 
bird  is  becoming  common,  as  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  introduction 
of  the  English  sparrow,  it  has  not  been  reported,  to  the  writer's 
knowledge,  as  attacking  the  Colorado  potato  beetle  in  any  form.0 

«  The  Naturalist  in  Nicaragua,  ed.  2,  rev.,  1888,  p.  127. 

b  Bui.  32,  Bur.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.,  p.  47,  1908. 

cMr.  Reynolds  also  reported  that  Mr.  B.  C.  Wheeler  of  the  same  place  had  a  white 
rock  pullet,  an  incubator  chick,  which  developed  the  habit  of  feeding  od  this 
"slug." 

66513°— Bull.  82—12 7 


88         SOME  INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  TRUCK  CROPS. 

GUINEA  FOWLS  AS  DESTROYERS  OF  THE  POTATO  BEETLE. 

The  efficiency  of  the  guinea  fowl  in  destroying  the  Colorado  potato 
beetle  does  not  appear  to  have  received  much  mention  in  available 
literature.  Two  special  correspondents  of  this  office  have  written 
the  writer  on  this  topic,  one  of  them  recently,  and  their  experience 
is  well  worth  publishing. 

June  1,  1907,  Mr.  F.  W.  Speegle,  Bremen,  Cullman  County,  Ala., 
wrote  that  about  25  }rears  ago  the  potato  "bugs"  made  their  appear- 
ance in  his  county  and  increased  until  they  were  so  numerous 
that  it  was  a  hard  fight  to  raise  potatoes  at  all.  Having  learned 
that  the  guinea  fowl  would  eat  the  beetles,  he  at  once  began  to 
raise  the  fowls.  In  the  spring  of  1905,  when  the  beetles  appeared, 
the  guineas  were  induced  to  enter  the  potato  patch  by  strewing 
corn  about  the  vines.  After  eating  the  corn  the  fowls  consumed 
the  beetles,  apparently  with  great  relish,  and  less  than  a  week  later 
not  a  "bug"  could  be  found  on  the  potato  tops.  A  good  crop  was 
made,  which  was  also  clean  of  scab.  He  had  the  same  experience  in 
1906,  and  since  then  had  not  seen  a  potato  beetle  in  his  potato  fields 
and  only  a  few  on  his  entire  farm.  A  few  occurred  out  of  the  range 
of  his  guineas  on  what  he  terms  " tread-soft"  (probably  a  Solanum), 
which  seems  to  be  the  principal  diet  of  the  bugs,  excepting  the 
potato.  His  neighbors  who  had  no  guinea  fowls  had  as  much  trouble 
with  the  potato  beetles  as  he  did  before  he  obtained  the  guineas. 

Writing  on  the  same  topic  Dr.  George  Yanden,  Gallipolis,  Ohio, 
stated  in  a  letter  received  May  1,  1909,  that  many  years  ago  when 
the  Colorado  potato  beetle  was  very  bad  and  when  he  and  his  neigh- 
bors had  potatoes  in  adjoining  patches,  the  neighbors  ''bugged" 
faithfully,  but  the  bugs  "  multiplied  and  replenished,"  and  the  patch 
was  very  ragged,  while  his  own  vines  were  fine  and  flourishing, 
although  no  remedies  had  been  applied.  He  soon  found  that  the  good 
condition  of  his  own  vines  was  due  to  his  flock  of  between  20  and  30 
full-grown  guinea  fowls  that  patrolled  the  patch  and  converted  the 
"bugs"  from  a  nuisance  into  "good  guinea  feed."  He  expressed 
himself  as  believing  that  this  combination  of  raising  potatoes  and 
guinea  fowls  would  not  only  be  feasible,  but  to  the  mutual  advantage 
of  the  potatoes  and  the  guineas ;  at  least  it  worked  satisfactorily  in 
his  case. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  correspondents  who  are  troubled  with  potato 
beetles  will  make  tests  of  the  efficiency  of  the  guinea  fowl  as  a  destroyer 
of  this  and  other  garden  pests. 

NOTES  ON  THE  POTATO  STALK  WEEVIL. 

Since  the  publication  of  a  comprehensive  article  on  the  potato 
stalk  weevil  (Trichobaris  trinotata  Say)  in  1902  a  a  few  data  have 

.    a  Bui.  33,  Bur.  Ent.  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  pp.  9-18,  1902. 


Nni  RS   i».\    \  kBIOl  B    i  EN  I  B  I  BOP   i  N8E( 

accumulated  in  regard  i<»  the  habits  of  this  insect  which  are  worth] 
of  record. 

During  1907  Mr.  F.  D.  Hopkins,  while  engaged  in  the  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry,  collected  some  infested  sterna  of  cultivated  Phj  tali 
of  an  unknown  species,  supposed  to  be  a  hybrid,  grown  al  the  Axling 
ton  Experimental  Farm,  at  Rosslyn,  Va,  The  stems  submitted  to  the 
writer,  October  30,  contained  at  that  late  date  one  larva  and  three 
pup®.  Mr.  Hopkins  had  noticed  for  some  time  a  peculiar  injury 
the  breaking  o(  many  stalks  fully  three-fouii  hs  of  an  inch  thick  and 
attributed  it.  with  good  reason,  to  the  inroads  of  the  larva  of  this 
weevil.  The  complete  rupture  of  the  stalks  was  broughl  about  by 
severe  winds  which  were  encountered  oe  t  hree  different  day-  in  October. 
This  is  apparently  the  first  record  of  injury  by  this  species  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  It  also  shows  that  the  insect  can 
be  much  later  in  maturing  than  is  generally  supposed,  the  larvae  and 
pupa1  being  found  much  later  than  is  usual.  The  first  adult  From  t  his 
lot  did  not  develop  until  November  25.  The  pupae  obtained  wintered 
over  as  such  but  died  during  a  very  severe  and  unseasonable  hot  spell, 
when  the  insectarywas  not  properly  screened,  in  the  latter  days  of 
March.  Normally,  they  would  not  have  developed  for  a  month  <u- 
two  Later.  It  has  been  quite  generally  stated  by  all  writers  on  this 
species,  as  has  been  said  in  the  article  quoted,  that  all  beetles  mature 
by  September  and  that  hibernation  is  therefore  always  as  a  beetle,  the 
knowledge  of  this  fact  being  of  great  value  in  the  control  of  the 
species. 

During  July,  1908,  Hon.  John  H.  Rothermel  wrote  of  injury  by 
this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Reading,  Pa.,  stating  that  it  was  eating 
into  potato  stalks  and  killing  them.  The  same  month  Mr.  Walter  W. 
Jacobs  complained  that  the  potato  crop  in  Delaware  County,  Pa., 
was  infested  with  this  species,  which  he  accurately  described  working 
in  the  center  of  the  stalk,  eating  its  way  from  the  roots  upward. 

In  an  earlier  year  Mr.  F.  C.  Pratt  observed  this  species  attacking 
eggplant  at  Four-Mile  Run,  Virginia,  about  30  per  cent  of  a  field 
being  found  injured  by  July  29.     His  notes  are  as  follows: 

The  larva  was  found  in  one  plant  examined  and  plants  averaging  2  feet  high  were 
affected,  some  bearing  fruit.  After  they  were  attacked  the  plants  withered  away  and 
died.  The  owner  of  the  truck  farm  stated  that  for  three  years  his  eggplant  had  died 
in  the  same  manner  and  he  had  attributed  the  loss  to  the  soil,  the  plants  being  grown 
at  that  time  on  low  ground  thought  to  be  "sour."  Each  year  he  changed  the  location, 
but  the  same  conditions  had  prevailed. 

A  cocoon  of  a  parasite  was  observed  at  that  time  in  the  burrows 
of  the  insect  in  eggplant  and  later  the  chalcidid  parasite  Eurytoma 
tylodermatis  Ashm.  was  reared  from  steins  of  Solanum  carolinense 
infested  by  this  species  and  collected  by  the  writer  in  the  District 
of  Columbia. 


90  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO  TRUCK   CROPS. 

MAGGOTS   AFFECTING  YAMS  IN  THE   SOUTH. 

Comparatively  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  insect  enemies 
of  sweet  potato  and  yams  in  America.  An  exception  is  the  sweet- 
potato  borer  or  weevil  (Cylas  formicarius  Fab.)  which  has  been  ably 
treated  by  Mr.  A.  F.  Conradi  in  a  recent  publication  °  of  the  Texas 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  Short  accounts  of  other  species, 
including  the  tortoise  beetles,  have  been  prepared  by  Riley,  Sander- 
son, and  others.  The  species  which  will  be  mentioned  in  the  present 
article  are  apparently  new  as  sweet  potato  pests. 

March  11,  1908,  Mr.  P.  J.  Wester  sent  from  Nassau,  British  West 
Indies,  a  yam,  Dioscorea  alata,  badly  affected  with  maggots.  When 
received,  owing  to  the  long  journey,  leading  to  the  destruction  of 
many  specimens,  comparatively  few  larvae  remained.  An  examina- 
tion showed  that  these  were  of  three  species,  all  pale  yellow  at  the 
time  of  receipt.  Some  pupae  were  also  present.  The  specimens 
reared  were  identified  by  Mr.  D.  W.  Coquillett  and  are  as  follows: 

Lonchxa  longicornis  Will. — The  flies  of  this  species  issued  from 
March  13  to  April  10.  This  is  an  ortalid  and  bears  some  resemblance 
to  the  better  known  L.  polita  Say.  The  head  is  dark  brown,  the 
thorax  dark  blue,  and  the  wings  are  only  slightly  iridescent.  In 
polita  the  head  is  a  lighter  brown,  the  thorax  more  distinctly  blue, 
and  the  wings  more  strongly  iridescent. 

Euxesta  nitidiventris  Loew. — The  adults  issued  from  March  31  to 
April  3.  This  species  is  of  about  the  same  size  as  the  preceding  and 
resembles  our  commoner  E.  notata  Wied.  Superficially  it  differs  by 
being  duller  colored,  the  thorax  being  feebly  metallic  blue  and  the 
wings  not  so  strongly  marked  with  black  on  the  margin.  This 
species  has  been  reared  from  the  ears  of  sweet  corn  at  Brownsville, 
Tex.,  by  Messrs.  D.  K.  McMillan  and  H.  O.  Marsh  in  December,  1908, 
and  in  January,  1909.  The  pupa3  were  noticed  in  abundance  in 
husks  and  silk.  In  one  case  the  larvae  and  pupae  were  taken  in 
moderate  numbers  in  decaying  immature  corn  ears  which  had  been 
injured  by  the  well-known  boll  worm  or  corn  ear- worm. 

Euxesta  thomse  Loew. — The  adult  of  this  species  issued  April  2. 
It  is  of  about  the  same  size  or  a  little  larger  than  the  preceding,  but 
marked  much  like  CJixtopsis  xnea  Wied.  This  species  was  also 
reared  from  the  ears  of  injured  corn  collected  by  Messrs.  McMillan 
and  Marsh  at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  December  29,  1908,  adults  issuing 
en  route  January  4  and  later.  Puparia  were  found  in  abundance  in 
the  husks  and  silk.     It  was  associated  with  the  smaller  CJi.  xnea. 

From  what  we  know  of  related  species  the  probabilities  are  that 
these  three  flies  live  in  their  larval  or  maggot  stage  chiefly  on  decom- 
posing vegetation  but  they  are  all  three  capable  of  injuring  growing 

a  Bui.  93,  Texas  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.,  pp.  1-16,  1907. 


N0TB8  OB    VARIOUS    CBUOK-OBOF  IN8E4  (.»1 

plants.     In  the  case  above  cited  th<\  wmv  quite  obviously  injurious 
to  the  yam  tuber,  hut  the  extent  of  the  injury  wns  qo1  reported. 
Of  the  three  species  above  mentioned   E.  nitidiventris  occui 
Texas  and  Florida;   the  other  i\\<>  are  apparently  n<»t  recorded  from 
the  United  States. 

NOTES   ON  THE   FEEDING  HABITS   OF  BLISTER   BEETLES. 

Entomologists  have  had  occasion  to  notice,  in  the  case  of  certain 
forms  of  insects,  and  more  especially  of  gregarious  caterpillars,  that 
when  once  a  colony  begins  feeding  on  a  certain  form  of  plant  or  other 
food,  a  special  taste  or  fondness  is  developed  by  that  colony  and  the 
insects  continue  on  the  same  material,  in  the  case  of  caterpillar-,  at 
least  until  about  the  last  stage  is  reached.  The  same  is  observable 
in  the  case  of  leafhoppers,  which  frequently  leave  the  plant  on  which 
they  have  fed  during  their  first  stages  of  growth  and  lly  to  another 
plant  in  the  later  stages.  This  habit  is  strongly  developed  in  insects 
which  are  omnivorous  as  well  as  gregarious,  e.  g.,  in  blister  beetles. 

The  margined  blister  beetle  (Epicauta  marginata  Fab.)  has  been 
repeatedly  observed  by  the  writer  feeding  on  beets,  literally  in 
"flocks."  The  beetles  begin  at  some  point  on  a  row  or  two  and 
continue  along  those  rows  unless  interrupted.  When  they  are  more 
abundant  several  colonies  will  frequently  strip  many  rows  until 
entire  plantings  are  destroyed.  Not  until  this  is  accomplished  do 
they  turn  to  some  other  food  plant.  Beet  appears  to  be  a  preferred 
food  plant  of  this  species  when  it  is  available.  On  one  occasion  the 
writer  observed  this  species  attacking  a  row  of  cabbages  contiguous 
to  a  row  of  beets.  The  beetles  continued  along  this  row,  evidently 
" following  the  leader"  like  sheep.  It  is  the  same  with  weeds  when 
these  are  attacked.  On  another  occasion  the  beetles  of  this  species 
were  observed  feeding  on  lamb's-quarters — not  a  favorite  food — and 
the  flock  continued  on  this  plant  until  it  left  the  neighborhood. 

The  striped  blister  beetle  (Epicauta  vittata  Fab.)  was  seen  in  the 
same  manner  eating  the  rough  pigweed  (Amaranthus  retrojlexus), 
which  the  beetles  almost  completely  defoliated,  leaving  nothing  but 
the  bare  stems,  and  scarcely  touching  other  plants  occurring  in  their 
line  of  march. 

On  such  occasions  the  result  is  very  much  the  same  as  though  an 
"army"  of  army  worms  had  devastated  the  tract  attacked.  The 
army  worm  supposedly  assimilates  a  large  portion  of  the  actual  food 
material  which  it  consumes  and  which  it  requires  for  completing  its 
growth.  The  blister  beetles  are  already  mature  and  judging  from 
the  large  amount  of  excrement  which  they  leave  in  their  wake,  con- 
sume many  times  as  much  as  they  actually  require  for  sustenance. 

While  it  was  the  purpose  of  this  note  merely  to  mention  the  some- 
what peculiar  habits  of  our  eastern  blister  beetles,  occasion  is  taken 


92  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

to  add  some  additional  observations.  During  a  trip  at  Norfolk, 
Va.,  in  September,  1910,  the  writer's  attention  was  directed  to  consid- 
erable injury  to  garden  beets  and  chards.  A  majority  of  the  insects 
had  disappeared  after  largely  defoliating  the  plants,  but  enough 
remained  for  an  experiment  to  determine  the  direction  which  would 
be  taken  by  the  blister  beetles  when  disturbed,  as  this  has  a  practical 
bearing  on  the  driving  system  practiced  so  successfully  in  the  Middle 
West.  The  margined  blister  beetle  and  the  black  blister  beetle 
(E.  pennsylvanica  DeG.)  were  present.  As  many  as  possible  of  the 
beetles  were  dislodged  from  the  plants,  and  they  were  not  dislodged 
at  this  time  with  ease,  and  all  thus  disturbed,  with  the  exception 
of  one  which  "played  possum,"  walked  away  with  the  wind,  as  was 
expected. 

Great  numbers  of  the  black  blister  beetle,  and  small  numbers  of 
the  sweet-potato  blister  beetle  (E.  trichrus  Pall.),  were  observed  on 
asters  and  related  plants  at  Norfolk.  From  these  high  plants  it  was 
found  an  easy  matter  to  dislodge  the  insects,  by  means  of  pine  switches, 
into  a  milk  pail  containing  about  half  an  inch  of  water  and  a  few 
drops  of  kerosene.  With  a  large  milk  pail  and  several  operators, 
including  children,  who  readily  take  to  such  work,  a  considerable 
territory  could  be  covered  in  a  very  short  time  and  the  blister  beetles 
destroyed  before  they  have  time  to  injure  the  flowers. 

NOTES  ON  BEAN  AND  PEA  WEEVILS. 

The  family  name  Lariidse  has  been  adopted  by  European  system- 
atists  for  the  BruchidaB,  having  been  proposed  originally  by  J. 
Schilsky  in  1905.  The  genus  Bruchus  of  Linnaeus,  as  considered  by 
American  coleopterists,  is  therefore  subdivided  into  other  genera. 
The  following  notes,  including  the  European  nomenclature,  are 
made  for  the  benefit  of  economic  workers: 

Laria  ruiimana  Boh. — The  broad-bean  weevil. 

Bruchus  Tufimanus  Boh.,  Schoenherr,  Vol.  I,  p.  58,  1833. 

This  species,  called  also  the  European  bean  weevil,  has  recently  been  introduced 
at  San  Luis  Obispo,  Cal.,  from  which  locality  the  writer  received,  through  the  kind- 
ness of  Mr.  I.J.  Condit,  collaborator,  of  this  Bureau,  specimens  reared  from  the  seeds 
of  broad  bean  grown  there. 

Laria  pisorum  L. — The  pea  weevil. 

Bruchus  -pisorum  L.,  Syst.  Nat.,  10th  Ed.,  p.  356, 1758. 
B.  pisi  L.,  Syst.  Nat.,  12th  Ed.,  p.  604, 1767. 

Laria  lentis  Froelich. — The  lentil  weevil. 

Bruchus  lentis  Froel.,  Der  Naturforcher,  pp.  57,  58, 1799. 

The  lentil  weevil  appears  to  be  restricted  to  the  lentil  for  food.  It  is  well  distributed 
in  Europe  and  is  often  brought  to  this  country,  usually  dead  or  dying,  but  has  not 
been  introduced  here  to  the  writer's  knowledge. 


M)i  ES   "\    \  LBI0U8    I  i;i  CKH  BOP    IK    EC1    ,  98 

Bruchidius  trifolii  Motscfa 

Hitniitts  tntolii  MoImIi.,  BuL  SOO.  \ ftt  Ho  MM,  \>    '  •'■.  1878. 

A  \  ei  \  small  speciea  Erequenl  l>  received  Id  this  country  from  I 
folium  alexandrinum,  Dot  known  to  bee  tabli  bed  in  America,  but  a  dai 
if  introduced  \\  itb  its  food  plant . 

Acanthoscelides  obtectus  Sa\ .    The  common  bean  weevil, 

Hrucluis  ohtniits  Say.  DSSCT,  \.  A.  CUTCUl.,  p.  I,  1831, 

lintchits  imsdiits  Fain.,  Scliot-iihrn ,  \  ol.  V,  U 

Pachymerus  chinensis  L.     The  cowpea  weevil. 

liruchtts  litinoisis  I...  Syst.  Nat.,  LOtb  Ed.,  p.  888,  1758. 
B,  Scutellaria  Fab.,  Ent  Syst,,  Vol.  I,  2,  p.  872,  1792. 

Pachymerus  quadrimaculatus  Fab.    The  four-spotted  beau  weevil. 

Hi  itchits  quadiimaciihitits  Fab.,  Ent.  Syst.,  Vol.  I,  2,  p.  .'571,  1 7'. •_'. 


INDEX 


Acantlmsr, n,i<s  obtecttit,  the  commoD  bean  weey  U,  bj  nonymy 

Avidia  j'ralria Q    1.; 

biologic  notes 1 1   L2 

control  methods i 

description !»  1 1 

technical,  by  <  teten-Sacken 11 

distribution 1 1 

early  history 9 

fly,  description !i    K) 

in  District  of  Columbia 0 

larva  or  maggot,  description lo 

puparium,  description LO  11 

( Trypcta)  hcraclei,  possible  identity  with  Acidiafratria 9   II 

Alfalfa,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77, 78 

Diacrisia  virgin ica 82 

"Alkali  bugs."     (See  Monoxiaep.) 

Alsine  (Stellaria)  media,  food  plant  of  Disonycha  mellicoUis 30 

xanihomela  na 30 

Amaranthus  berlandicri,  food  plant  of  Disonycha  mellicoUis 31 

food  plant  of  Conotrachelus  elegans 18 

Diacrisia  virginica G3 

retroflexus,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Disonycha  abbreviata 31-32 

mellicoUis 31 

Epicauta  vittata 91 

Psylliodes  punctulata 41 

spinosus,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Disonycha  abbreviata 31-32 

mellicoUis 31,  32 

Ambrosia,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Anax  longipes,  enemy  of  Papilio  polyxenes 23 

Apanteles  lunatus,  parasite  of  Papilio  polyxenes 23 

Apateticus  (Podisus)  marginatus,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 85 

Apricots,  reported  injury  by  Diabrotica  trivittata 75 

Arrow-head.     (See  Sagittaria  spp.) 

common.     (See  Sagittaria  variabilis.) 

Arsenate  of  lead  against  celery  caterpillar 23 

Colorado  potato  beetle 5,6 

Diabrotica  balteata 81-82 

vittata 82 

hop  flea-beetle 57 

yellow  bear  caterpillar 63,  65-66 

necked  flea-beetle 32 

and  Bordeaux  mixture  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 4-5,  6.  7,  8 

cost  per 

acre..  7 

Diabrotica  balteata 81-82 

vittata 82 

95 


96  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

Page. 

Arsei  ic,  white,  sal  soda,  and  lime  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 4, 6 

Arsenite  of  copper  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 6 

and  lime  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 6 

Aspa  -agus,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Diacrisia  xirginica 62 

Asters,  food  plants  of  Epicauta  marginata 92 

trichrus 92 

Bacterial  diseases  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 48 

Banding  with  tanglefoot  against  hop  flea-beetle 50-52 

Bean  and  pea  weevils,  nomenclature 92-93 

leaf-beetle.     (See  Cerotoma  trifurcata.) 

Beans,  food  plants  of  Diabrotica  balteata 69,  70 

soror 71,  72 

trivittata 75 

English  broad,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77,  78 

horse,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 70 

picticomis 68 

Lima,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77,  78 

Diacrisia  xirginica 62 

Etiella  zinckenella 25-28 

Soy,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

string,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77,  78 

Diacrisia  xirginica 62 

Bees,  honey,  prey  of  Euthyrhynchus  floridanus 86 

Beets,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

picticomis 68 

soror 71,  72 

Disonycha  mellicollis 29,  31 

Epicauta  marginata 91 

pennsylxanica  and  margined  blister  beetle 92 

stock,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  xirginica 62 

sugar,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  trixittata 75 

Diacrisia  xirginica 59,  60-62 

Psylliodes  punctulata 33 

loss  of  sugar  content  from  attacks  by  Diacrisia  xirginica 59-60 

table,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  xirginica 62 

Bill-bugs.     (See  Sphenophorus  spp.) 

Birds,  enemies  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 48 

wild,  enemies  of  Leptinotarsa  decemlineata 87 

Bisulphid  of  carbon  against  parsley  stalk  weevil 19 

Blackberry,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  xirginica 63 

Black-knot.     (See  Plowrightia  morbosa.) 

Blackleaf  tobacco  extract  against  hop  flea-beetle 56-57 

Blapstinus,  injury  to  peanuts 72 

Blight,  early,  as  affecting  potato  plants  in  Virginia 1 

Blister  beetle,  black.     (See  Epicauta  pennsylvanica.) 
margined  (see  also  Epicauta  marginata). 

injury  to  chards  and  garden  beets 92 

striped.     (See  Epicauta  xittata.) 
sweet  potato.     (See  Epicauta  trichrus.) 

beetles,  feeding  habits,  notes 91-92 

Bob-white,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Bollworm ,  injury  to  corn ■ 90 


INDIA.  97 

Bordeaux  mixture  against  hop  flea-beetle    

and  arsenate  oi  lead  against  Colorado  potato  beetle.  ...  i 

per 

acre.  .  7 

Diabrotica  balteata 81  B2 

vittata 

Paris  green  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 

7 

tobacco  extract  against  hop  flea-beetle 

Botrytis  bassiana,  fungous  disease  of  Diacrisia  virginica «;i 

Brassica  nigra,    (See  Mustard. 

Bruchidae  of  economic  import  a  nee,  nomenclature 

Bruchidius  tryfolii  in  seeds  of  Trifoliwm  alexandrinum,  economic  importance, 

Bynonymy 93 

Hi  uchus  chiru  n$i8=Pachymeru8  chinensis 93 

irre8ectu8~Acantho8celides  obtectus 93 

/,  rU%8=Laria  lentis 92 

obtectus=Acanthoscelides  obtectus 93 

j>lsi=  Lurid  pisorum 92 

pisorum=Laria  pisorum 92 

HU(i<lri)ii(u-uhitus=Pachymerus  quadrirnaculatus 93 

nijimanus=Laria  j'ujlmana 92 

scutcllaris=J>achymerus  chinensis 

trifolii= Bruchidius  trifolii 9:5 

Burning  weeds,  grass,  etc,  in  control  of  "alkali  bugs"  (Monoxia  sp.) 66 

yellow-bear  caterpillar (iii 

Cabbage,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  halteata 70 

soror 72 

Diacrisia  virgin ica 62 

Epicauta  marginata 91 

Listronotus  appendiculatus 14 

Notaris  (Erycus)  puncticollis 14 

'  >i,s  indicus,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

('anna,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Cantaloupe,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Diacrisia  virginica iii' 

Cardinal,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 

(  arabid  enemy  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 48 

Caraway,  food  plant  of  Papilio  polyxenes 23 

Carrot,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica (i2 

Papilio  polyxenes 20, 23 

wild,  food  plant  of  Papilio  polyxenes 20 

Catnip,  Euthyrhynchus  Jloridanus  thereon SO 

Cauliflower,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Celatoria  craivii=  Celatoria  diabroticse 75 

diabroticx,  Celatoria  crawii  a  synonym 75 

parasite  of  Diabrotica  soror 72.  75 

Celery  caterpillar.     (See  Papilio  polyxenes.) 

food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 02 

Papilio  polyxenes 20-24 

leaf-miner.     (See  Acidia  [Trypeta]  heraclei.) 

Centipede,  enemy  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 48 

Cercospora  beticola,  leaf-spot  disease  of  sugar  beets 59,  02 


98  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 

Page. 

Cerotoma  trifurcata,  comparison  of  work  with  that  of  Diabrotica  balteata 69 

Ch&topsis  senea,  similarity  to  Euxesta  thomae 90 

Chard  s,  food  plant  of  Epicauta  pennsylvanica  and  margined  blister  beetle 92 

Chenopodium,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

album.     (See  Lamb's-quarters.) 

sp.,  food  plant  of  Disonycha  mellicollis 31 

Cherry,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Chicken,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

prairie,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Chickweed.     (See  also  Alsine  [Stellaria]  media.) 

food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 40 

Chittenden,  F.  H.,  paper,  "Notes  on  the  Cucumber  Beetles" 67-75 

Various  Truck-Crop  Insects  " 85-93 

"The  Celery  Caterpillar  (Papilio  polyxenes  Fab.)"..  20-24 
"The     Lima-Bean    Pod-Borer    (Etiella    zinckenella 

Treit.) " 25-28 

"The  Parsley  Stalk  Weevil  (Listronotus  latiusculus 

Boh.)" 14-19 

"The  Parsnip  Leaf-Miner  (Acidia  fratria  Loew)". . .  9-13 
"The  Yellow-Necked  Flea-Beetle  (Disonycha  melli- 
collis Say) " 29-32 

Citrullus  vulgaris.     (See  Watermelon.) 
Clover,  red.     (See  Trifolium  pratense.) 

Colutia  arborescens,  food  plant  of  Etiella  zinckenella 26 

Conotrachelus  elegans  on  Amaranthus  and  hickory 18 

nenuphar  in  plum  and  other  stone  fruits  and  black-knot  (Plow- 

rightia  morbosa) 18 

Corn  earworm.     (See  Bollworm.) 

food  plant  of  bollworm 90 

Diabrotica  balteata 69,  77,  78 

soror 72,  74 

trivittata 75 

Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Euxesta  nitidiventris 90 

thom,se 90 

root- worm,  southern.     (See  Diabrotica  duodecimpunctata.) 
stalk-borer.     (See  Elasmopalpus.) 

Cotton,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 70,  77,  78 

picticornis 68 

Cowpea,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Crow,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Crude  oil  on  sledges  against  hop  flea-beetle 49-50 

Cuckoo,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Cucumber  beetle,  belted.     (See  Diabrotica  balteata.) 

notes  thereon 67-75 

painted.     (See  Diabrotica  picticornis.) 

saddled.     (See  Diabrotica  connexa.) 

striped.     (See  Diabrotica  vittata.) 

twelve-spotted.     (See  Diabrotica  duodecimpunctata.) 

western  striped.     (See  Diabrotica  trivittata.) 

twelve-spotted.     (See  Diabrotica  soror.) 

food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 69,  77 

picticornis 76 


I\M  A. 

Cucumber,  food  plant  <>i  Diabrotica  toror 

trii  i/tttt<i 

til  tutu 

Cucurbitaceous  plants,  i"«><>«1  plants  of  Diabrotica  eonnexa  ... 
Cucurbits,  food  plants  of  Diabrotica  picHcornis 

tn  i  it  tutu 

Cultivation  in  control  of  hop  flea-beetle 

Currant,  food  plain  otDiacritia  virginica 

(  'i/c!us  form iairi lis,  UUTVSB  In  SWeet   DOtOtO 'in 

CymlingB,  food  plains  of  Diabrotica  picHcornis 

Dahlia,  food  plant  of  Diacriaia  virginica 

Daisies,  food  plants  of  Diabrotica  soror 7i> 

Datana  integerrima  on  pecan,  prey  of  Euthyrhynchus  floridamu 

Detmodiwm  tortuosum,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Diabrotica  balteata 69-7 1 . 

beetle,  description 71 

comparison  with  Diabrotica  eonnexa 

picHcornis 69 

description  of  beetle  and  eggs 70  71 

early  stages 81 

distribution 71 

egg,  description 81 

food  plants 77 

hardiness  in  comparison  with  Diabrotica  duodecimpunctata 

and  Diabrotica  vittata 30 

injuries 69-70 

injury,  character 77 

larva,  mature,  description 81 

newly  hatched,  description 81 

life-history  notes 78-81 

pupa,  description 81 

records  of  occurrence 77-7^ 

remedies,  experiments 81-82 

biologic  notes  on  species  in  southern  Texas 76-84 

eonnexa,  comparison  with  Diabrotica  picHcornis 69 

description,  distribution,  injuries 68 

duodecimpunctata,  common  injurious  species  in  southern  States.  ...  67 

comparison  with  Diabrotica  soror 73 

hardiness  in  comparison  with  Diabrotica  balteata 

and  Diabrotica  vittata 80 

life-history  notes 84 

economic  importance  of  species 67 

picticornis,  descriptions  of  beetle  and  eggs,  distribution,  injuries. ...  68  69 

in  southern  Texas 76 

soror 71  -75 

association  with  Diabrotica  trivittata 75 

common  injurious  species  in  Pacific  region 67 

description  of  beetle 7;) 

distribution 73 

habits 74 

injury  in  California,  1906-1908 71-73 

life  history 74 

trivittata,  comparison  with  Diabrotica  vittata,  injuries 75 


100  SOME   INSECTS  INJURIOUS   TO   TRUCK   CROPS. 

Page. 

Diabrotica  vittata,  common  injurious  species  to  truck  crops 67 

hardiness  in  comparison  with  Diabrotica  balteata  and  Dia- 
brotica duodecimpunctata 80 

in  southern  Texas,  injuries,  life-history  notes,  remedies 82-84 

Diaerisia  virgin ica 59-66 

biologic  notes 60-62 

damage  in  Colorado  in  1909 59-60 

experiments  with  arsenicals 63-66 

fungous  disease,  Botrytis  bassiana 61 

not  preyed  upon  by  birds 62 

Dill,  food  plant  of  Papilio  polyxenes 23 

Dioscorea  alata,  maggots  infesting  it 90-91 

Disonycha  abbreviata,  association  with  Disonycha  mellicollis  on  Amaranthus  retro- 

flexus 31-32 

mellicollis,  association  with  Disonycha  abbreviata  on  Amaranthus  retro- 

fiexus 31-32 

at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  in  1909 31-32 

control  methods 32 

description 30-31 

distribution 30-31 

economic  status 31 

eggs,  comparison  with  those  of  Disonycha  xanthomelxna . .  30 

injurious  occurrence 29-30 

larva,  comparison  with  that  of  Disonycha  xanthomelsena . .  30 

mistaken  for  Disonycha  xanthomelaena 29 

xanthomelsena,  Disonycha  mellicollis  mistaken  therefor 29 

eggs,  comparison  with  those  of  Disonycha  mellicollis. .  30 

larva,  comparison  with  that  of  Disonycha  mellicollis. .  30 
Disparene.     (See  Arsenate  of  lead.) 
Dock.     (See  Rumex.) 

Dolichos  atropurpureus,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Dragonfly  enemy  of  Papilio  polyxenes.     (See  Anax  longipes.) 

Dust.  road,  deterrent  against  parsnip  leaf-miner 13 

Eggplant,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 70,  77 

Diaerisia  virginica 62 

Nezara  hilaris 86 

Trichobaris  trinotata 89 

Elasmopalpus,  comparison  of  moth  with  that  of  Etiella  zinckenella 27 

Epicauta  marginata  (see  also  Blister  beetle,  margined). 

feeding  habits,  notes 91 

on  asters,  brushing  as  remedy 92 

pennsylvanica,  association  with  Epicauta  marginata  in  injury  to  chords 

and  garden  beets 92 

trichrus  on  asters,  brushing  as  remedy 92 

vittata,  feeding  habits 91 

Epitrix  subcrinita  on  potatoes,  possible  confusion  with  Psylliodes  punctulata  ...  37 
Erycus  puncticollis.     (See  Notaris  [Erycus]  puncticollis .) 

Etiella  rubribasella= Etiella  zinckenella 26 

schisticolor  only  a  race  of  Etiella  zinckenella 26 

zinckenella 25-28 

comparison  of  moth  with  that  of  corn  stalk-borer  (Elasmopal- 
pus)    27 

description 25-27 


I\M.\.  lll| 

Etiella  rinckenella,  distribution 

injurious  occurrence  

Ian  a,  deecript  ion 

habita 

moth,  deacripl  Ion 

resemblance  of  larva  to  that  of  \fonoptilota  nubilella   26 

F.unitomn  tylodermatis,  parasite  of  Trichobaris  trinotata 

EuthyrhynchtM  floridantu 

descriptive 

enemy  of  bees 

••  bright  green  rose  chafer" 87 

Colorado  potato  beetle B6 

Datana  integerrima g£ 

.Y<  zara  hi  Inn's ->j 

Euxesta  nitidiventris,  comparison  with  Euxesta  notata 90 

infesting  Dioscorea  alata  and  corn  cars,  descriptive 90 

notata,  comparison  with  Euxesta  nitidiventris 90 

thomse  infesting  Dioscorea  alata  and  corn  cars no 

Fennel,  food  plan!  of  Papilio  polyrenes 23 

Fertilization  in  control  of  hop  (lea-beetle 

Fig,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77,78 

Plea-beetle,  yellow-necked.    (See  Disonycha  mellicollis.) 

Fumigation  oi  poles  against  hop  flea-beetle — an  impractical  measure .V, 

Fungous  disease.     (See  Botrytis  bassiana.) 

diseases  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 17 

Gooseberry,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Grape,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Green  bug,  spotted,  colloquial  name  for  Diabrotica  balteata  in  Texas 77 

Gregarious  feeding  habits  of  blister  beetles 91-92 

Grouse,  ruffed,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

sharp-tailed,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Guinea  fowls,  enemies  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 88 

Hand  picking  against  celery  caterpillars 23 

Colorado  potato  beetle 1-2 

Harpaline  ground  beetles,  enemies  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 4 

Hawk,  red-tailed,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle s7 

Helianthus,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Diacrisia  virginica G3 

Heracleum,  food  plant  of  Acidia  fratria 9 

Hickory,  food  plant  of  Conotrachelus  elegans 18 

Hollyhock,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Hop  flea-beetle.     (See  Psylliodes  punctulata.) 

food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 33-58 

mold.     (See  Sphxrotheca  castagnei.) 
Humulus  lupulus.     (See  Hop.) 

Hyacinth,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Ibcrvillea  lindheimeri,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Ichneumon  fly,  parasite  of  Etiella  zinckenclla 28 

Kerosene  emulsion  against  hop  flea-beetle 57 

parsley  stalk  weevil 19 

parsnip  leaf-miner 13 

carbolized,  against  parsnip  leaf-miner 13 

<(Ladybug,"  colloquial  name  for  Diabrotica  balteata  in  Texas 7  7 


102  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 

Page. 

Lamb's-quarters,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 60-61 

Epicauta  marginata 91 

Psylliodes  punctulata 40 

Land  plaster  and  Paris  green  against  Colorado  potato  beetle,  cost  of  application 

per  acre  by  plantation  methods 2, 5,  6  7 

Laria  lentis,  the  lentil  weevil,  distribution,  synonymy 92 

pisorum,  the  pea  weevil,  synonomy 92 

rufimana,  the  broad-bean  weevil,  introduction  into  California,  synonymy.  92 

Leafhoppers,  feeding  habit 91 

Leaf  spot.     (See  Cercospora  beticola.) 

Lebia  grandis,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 4 

Leptinotarsa  decemlineata .     (See  Potato  beetle,  Colorado.) 

Lettuce,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 70,  77 

soror 73 

Disonycha  mellicollis 29,  31 

Lima  bean  pod-borer.     (See  Etiella  zinckenella.) 

vine-borer.     (See  Monoptilota  nubilella.) 
beans.     (See  Beans,  Lima.) 

Lime  and  arsenite  of  copper  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 6 

Paris  green  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 5-6 

yellow-bear  caterpillar 63-66 

powdered  soot,  deterrent  against  parsnip  leaf-miner 13 

white  arsenic,  and  sal  soda  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 4,  6 

Listronotus  appendiculatus  on  cabbage 14 

impressifrons,  comparison  with  Listronotus  latiusculus 15 

latiusculus 14-19 

adult  or  beetle,  description 15 

control  methods 19 

description 15 

distribution 16 

egg,  description 15 

food  plants 18 

habits 18 

injurious  occurrence 14 

injury  at  Four  Mile  Run,  Virginia 16-17 

larva,  description 15-16 

oviposition 17-18 

pupa,  description 16 

Lonchxa  longicornis  infesting  Dioscorea  alata  and  sweet  corn,  descriptive 90 

similarity  to  Lonchsea  polita 90 

polita,  comparison  with  Lonchsea  longicornis 90 

Lycopersicum  esculentum.     (See  Tomato.) 

Lye-sulphur  against  red  spider  ( Tetranychus  bimaculatus) 64 

McMillan,  D.  K.,  description  of  earlier  stages  of  Diabrotica  balteata 81 

Maggots  infesting  yams  in  South 90-91 

Mangels,  food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 40 

treatment  with  tobacco  dust  against  hop  flea-beetle 54 

Marsh,  H.  O.,  paper,  "Biologic  and  Economic  Notes  on  the  Yellow-Bear  cater- 
pillar (Diacrisia  virginica  Fab.)" 59-66 

Notes  on   Species  of   Diabrotica   in   southern 

Texas'' 76-84 

Report  on  Disonycha  mellicollis  at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  in  1909.  . .  31-32 


INDEX.  H»;i 


Melons,  food  plants  of  Diobrotica  balteata  W 

trinltnt'i  ,   i 

Moiioptilotu  nubilella,  resemblance  of  larva  to  thai  of  EtieUazinckeruUa. 

\foni>iin  <j)..  destruction  by  burning  , 
Morning-glory,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginiea 

Mustard,  food  plant  of  Diobrotica  soror 73 

Psylliodes  punctulata.  40 
Nettle.      See  Urtiea  dioiea.  I 

Wesara  kiiarit  <>n  eggplant,  prey  of  EtUhyrhynchus  floridanus 

Night  hawk,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Nbtarit   Eryeus  \  puneticollis  on  cabbage 1 1 

Okra.  food  plant  of  Diobrotica  balteata 69,  77,  78 

pieticorn  is 68 

Onion,  food  plant  of  Dtabrotica  balteata 

Orange,  food  plant  of  Diobrotica  balteata 77 

soror 75 

groves,  damage  by  attack  of  Diobrotica  soror 72 

Pachymerus  (hint  nsis,  the  cowpea  weevil,  synonymy 

quudrimaculattis.  the  four-spotted  bean  weevil,  synonymy IS 

Papilio  astirius=Papilio  polyxenes.  bibliographic  references 24 

polyxenes 20-24 

adult,  descriptive 21 

bibliography 23-24 

chrysalis,  descriptive 21 

descriptive • 20-11 

distribution 20 

egg,  descriptive 20 

habits 22-23 

larva,  descriptive 21 

life  history 22  -23 

natural  enemies 23 

remedies 23 

troilus.  name  wrongly  used  for  Papilio  polyxenes 24 

Paris  green  against  celery  caterpillar 23 

Colorado  potato  beetle 5,  6 

hop  flea-beetle 57 

yellow-necked  flea -beetle 32 

and  Bordeaux  mixture  against  Colorado  potato  beetle,  cost  per  acre .  5, 

6,  7.  8 
land  plaster  against  Colorado  potato  beetle,  cost  of  application 

per  acre  by  plantation  methods 2, 5, 6, 7 

lime  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 5-6 

yellow-bear  caterpillar 63  66 

spray  against  Colorado  potato  beetle,  superiority  to  dusted  land 

plaster  and  Paris  green 2 

Parker,  William  B.,  paper,  ,;The  Life  History  and  Control  of  the  Bop  Flea- 
Beetle  (Psylliodes  punctulata  Melsh.)" 33  58 

Parsley,  food  plant  of  Listronotus  latiusculus 1 4-1!) 

Papilio  polyxenes 2 

stalk-weevil.     (See  Listronotus  latiusculus.  | 

worm,  colloquial  name  for  larva  of  Papilio  polyxenes 20 

66513°— Bull!  82—12 8 


104  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS    TO    TRUCK   CROPS. 

Page. 

Parsnip,  food  plant  of  Acidia  fratria 9-13 

Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Papilio  polyzenes. 23 

leaf-miner.     (See  Acidia  fratria.  | 

wild,  food  plant  of  Papilio  polyxenes 20 

Pea  and  bean  weevils,  nomenclature 92-93 

Peaches,  reported  injury  by  Diabrotica  trivittata 75 

Peanut,  food  plant  of  Blapstinus 72 

Diabrotica  balteata 77 

soror 72,  73 

Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Peas,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

soror 72 

Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Pecan,  food  plant  of  Datana  integerrima 86 

Penicillium  glaucum  on  Psylliodes  punctulata 47 

Pentatoma  punicea,  name  used  for  Euthyrhynchus  floridanus 87 

Pepper,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77,  78 

Perilloides  (Perillus)  bioculatus,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 85 

Phragmites,  Listronctus  latiusculus  found  therein 18 

Phycis  zinckenella=Etiella  zinckenella 26 

Physalis,  food  plant  of  potato  stalk-weevil  (  Trichobaris  trinotata) 89 

Pigweed.     (See  Amaranthus  retroflexus .) 

rough.     (See  Amaranthus  retroflexus.) 
Plant-bug,  green.     (See  Nezara  hilaris.) 

Plowrightia  morbosa,  food  plant  of  Conotrachelus  nenuphar 18 

Plum  curculio.     (See  Conotrachelus  nenuphar.) 

food  plant  of  Conotrachelus  nenuphar 18 

Pod-borer,  lima-bean.     (See  Etiella  zinckenella.) 

Podisus  maculiventris,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 3 

Popenoe,  C.  H.,  paper,  ''The  Colorado  Potato  Beetle  in  Virginia  in  1908" 1-8 

Portulaca  oleracea,  food  plant  of  Disonycha  mellicollis 29-30.  31 

retusa,  food  plant  of  Disonycha  mellicollis 31 

Potato  beetle,  Colorado,  bird  enemies 87-88 

insect  enemies 85-87 

in  Virginia  in  1908. 1-8 

conclusions  as  to  remedies 8 

experiments  with  insecticides 4-6 

habits • 2-3 

insect  enemies 3-4 

life  history 2-3 

remedies 4-8 

status 1-2 

prey  of  Pterostichus  lucublandus 85 

food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

soror 72 

Diacrisia  virginica 62 

potato  stalk  weevil  ( Trichobaris  trinotata) 89 

Psylliodes  punctulata 41 

stalk  weevil,  food  habits  and  injuries,  parasite 88-89 

sweet.     (See  also  Yams). 

food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 62 


l  \M  \.  10; 


Potatoes  early,  center  of  production  in  eastern  I  nited  Statei  I 

Power  spra)  er  for  potatoes,  cost s 

Pgylliodes  punctulata 

adult .  acth  ii  iea  al  night  12 

activity ti   12 

copulation 

description :57 

destructive  power  by  feeding  1 1 

ftighi 12 

food  plants 10  12 

length  of  life 

migrations 1 1    12 

number  of  eggs  and  rate  i  >f  egg-laying 

oviposition s 

Psylliodei  punctulata,  adult,  portions  of  plants  attacked 4] 

protection  by  concealment -12 

locomotion 12 

time  of  reaching  maturity 38 

broods,  number  and  time  of  appearance v.] 

control 18  58 

by  banding  with  tanglefoot 50  52 

Bordeaux  mixture 53-54 

tobacco  extract 54 

cultivation 58 

destruction  of  hibernating  beetles 52  -53 

fertilization 58 

spraying 50-59 

sticky  shield 4S-49 

tarred  board 48-49 

sledges 40-50 

tobacco  dust 54 

traps 57-58 

impractical  measures 54-56 

diseases,  bacterial 48 

fungous 47 

economic  importance 33-34 

eggs,  arrangement 35 

conditions  favorable  for  incubation 35 

descriptive 34 

hatching  process 35 

time  of  incubation 35 

where  laid 34-35 

food  of  larva 40 

plants  of  adult 40-41 

habits 39-42 

hibernation 43-47 

emergence  therefrom 46-47 

entrance 43-44 

places 44-46 

larva,  conditions  favorable 39-40 

description 35 

depth  in  soil 39 

food 40 


100  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK    CROPS. 

Page. 

Psy Modes  punctulata,  larva,  length  of  stage 35-36 

pupation 36 

where  found 39 

life  cycles,  length 42-43 

history 34-39 

multiplication 43 

parasites 48 

predaceous  enemies 48 

pupa,  description 36 

duration  of  stage 36-37 

transformation  to  adult 36-37 

recommendations  for  control 58 

seasonal  history 42-47 

Pterostichus  lucublandus,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 85 

Pumpkin  bug,  colloquial  name  for  Diabrotica  balteata  in  Texas 77 

food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Purslane,  common.     (See  Portulaca  oleracea.) 

Radish,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 62 

Psylliodes  punctulata : 40 

Raphanus  sativus.     (See  Radish.) 

Raspberry,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Red  spider.     (See  Tetranychus  bimaculatus.) 
Reeds.     (See  Phragmites.) 

Resin-lye  against  hop  flea-beetle 57 

Rh  eum  ojjicina  le .     ( See  Rhubarb . ) 

Rhubarb,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 61,  62 

Psylliodes  punctulata 33,  40,  41 

Robin,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Rolling  the  yards  against  hop  flea-beetle— an  impractical  measure 55-56 

"Rose  chafer,  bright  green,  "  prey  of  Euthyrhynchus  floridanus 87 

Rumex  acetocella,  food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 41 

food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

obtusifolius,  food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 41 

Sagittariasipip.,  food  plants  of  Listronotus  appendiculatus  and  other  species  of 

genus 14 

variabilis,  food  plant  of  Listronotus  latiusculus 18 

Sal  soda,  white  arsenic,  and  lime  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 4,  6 

Salsola  tragus,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Sesbania  aculeata,  food  plant* of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Soda,  sal.     (See  Sal  soda.) 

Solanum  carolinense,  food  plant  of  potato  stalk  weevil 89 

elseagnifolium,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

rostratum,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

tuberosum.     (See  Potato.) 

Soot,  powdered,  and  lime,  deterrent  against  parsnip  leaf-miner 13 

Sorghum,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

duodecimpunctata 84 

Sorrel.     (See  Rumex  acetocella.) 

Spanish  needle,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica 63 

Sparrow,  chipping,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

English,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Sphxrotheca  castagnei  on  Psylliodes  punctulata 47 


im»i;\.  107 

Sphtnophortu  spp.,  status  as  pests  n 

Spider,  red     (8ee  Fefronyetou  Wmocu/a 

Spihisoiixi  1  irginica     Diacriiia  virginiea 

Spinach  flea-beetle.    (See  Ditonyoka  nmtAomstena.) 

food  J > hi  ill  <>!'  piiilirolicii  lull  1 1 11I  a 77 

soror 

I>is()iu/cli(i  melUcollit 

Spre)  ing  against  hop  Sea-beetk  in  poles    an  impractical  measure 

Squash,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  baUmta 0 

pirlirorn  is gg 

sorts 71 

trii  i/ttila 

vittmta 

Ihucrisin  1  -infiii  ini 

Subbard,  food  planl  of  hmhmiivn  picticomit 

Sfcllarin  media.     (See  A/sine  [Stellaria]  media.) 

Sticky  shield  against  hop  flea-beetle 

Sugar  beet*.     (See  Beets,  sugar.) 

Sweet  potato  borer.     (See  Cyclas  formicarius.) 

Syntomosphyrum  sp.,  parasite  of  Acidia  fratria 12 

Tachinids,  enemies  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 3^i 

Tanager,  scarlet,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Tanglefoot  against  hop  flea-beetle 50-52 

Tarred  boards  against  hop  flea-beetle 34,  48-49 

sledges  against  hop  flea-beetle 49— 5t ' 

Tetranychus  bimaculatus  on  celery,  lye-sulphur  as  remedy 64 

Thistle,  Russian.     (See  Salsola  tragus.) 

Thrush,  hermit,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

olive-backed,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

wood,  enemy  of  Colorado  potato  beetle 87 

Tobacco  dust  against  hop  flea-beetle 54 

Tomato  bug,  colloquial  name  for  Diabrotica  balteata  in  Texas 77 

food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77,  78 

Psylliodes  punctulata 40,  41 

Traction  power  dust  distributors  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 7 

sprayer  against  Colorado  potato  beetle 7-8 

Trap  foods  against  hop  flea-beetle 57 

lights  against  hop  flea-beetle 57 

shelters  against  hop  flea-beetle 57-58 

Traps  against  hop  flea-beetle 57-5S 

Trirhobaris  trinotata.     (See  Potato  stalk  weevil.) 

Trifolium  pratense,  food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 41 

Trogus  exesorius,  parasite  of  Papilio  polyxenes 23 

exidianator,  parasite  of  Papilio  polyxenes 23 

Try peta  fratria= Acidia  fratria 9. 11 

heraclei=  Acidia  heraclei 9 

liogaster  considered  by  Thomson  identical  with  Acidia  fratria 9 

Turnip,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

Diacrisia  virginiea 62 

Umbelliferous  weeds,  food  plants  of  Papilio  polyxenes 20 

Urtica  dioica,  food  plant  of  Psylliodes  punctulata 40 

Verbesina  blossom,  Diabrotica  picticornis  taken  thereon 7G 

encelioides,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 


108  SOME   INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO    TRUCK   CROPS. 

Page, 

Yerbesina,  food  plant  of  Diacrisia  virginica t;3 

Vetch,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 70.  77 

p  id  icorn  is 68 

Walnut  caterpillar,  black.     (See  Datana  integerrima.) 

Watermelon,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata 77 

i  it  fata 83 

Diacrisia  virginica 

Psylliodes  punctulata -^0 

Weevil,  broad-bean.     (See  Laria  rufimana.) 

common  bean.     (See  Acanthoscelides  obtectus.) 

cowpea.     (See  Pachymerus  chinensis.) 

four-spotted  bean.     (See  Pachymerus  quadrimaculatus .) 

lentil.     (See  Laria  lentis.) 

pea.     (See  Laria  pisorum.) 

Weevils,  bean  and  pea,  nomenclature 92.  93 

Whale-oil  soap  against  hop  flea-beetle 57 

Wheat,  food  plant  of  Diabrotica  balteata I 

Xysticus  gulosus,  enemy  of  Diabrotica  soror 75 

Yams,  maggots  affecting  them  in  the  South 90-91 

Yellow-bear  caterpillar.     (See  Diacrisia  virginica.) 

Zinnas,  food  plants  of  Diabrotica  soror 72 


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